'It was a clear foul..' - Carlo Ancelotti criticizes referee's decision during Real Madrid's loss against Espanyol

Real Madrid suffered a 1-0 loss to relegation-threatened Espanyol on Saturday, their first La Liga loss since early December. The league leaders, however, felt unfairly treated by the outcome because they think Carlos Romero, the game-winning goalkeeper, shouldn't have been on the field when he scored his late goal. Romero's rash challenge on Kylian Mbappe  earlier in the second half earned him a yellow card.

To the anger of Real Madrid fans, VAR decided not to challenge Alejandro Muniz Ruiz's on-field ruling.  Although Los Blancos lost to a goal from Carlos Romero in the 85th minute, it was believed that the left defender should have been sent off sooner for snagging Kylian Mbappe from behind as the Frenchman attempted to break on a Madrid attack.

When Carlo Ancelotti addressed the issue at his news conference after the game, he was among many who found it hard to believe Romero had not been sent off. “The decision that has been taken is inexplicable, by both the referee and VAR. Because we have all seen what has happened. The most important thing is to watch and protect the player. It was a clear foul, a very ugly tackle, with risk and, fortunately it didn’t happen, but there was a risk of injury. VAR is also there for this. It seems inexplicable to us that red was not shown.”

Real Madrid got two important games as Antonio Rudiger sustained injury

In addition to providing his opinion of the game, Ancelotti acknowledged that Antonio Rudiger's injury sustained in the first half was a muscle one. “It has been difficult, complicated. We did some things well, we had control, especially in the second half, such as chances: a goal disallowed, we hit the post, we shot 20 times on goal… The game was quite controlled, but Espanyol played very well in transition, defending well, they caught us on the break and scored. It was the game they wanted to play.”

It was undoubtedly a frustrating evening for Real Madrid, and since Atletico Madrid defeated them earlier on Saturday, the two teams are now only one point apart, making next weekend's Madrid derby at the Santiago Bernabeu all the more important. With Manchester City in the Champions League playoffs, this is concerning, but so is the fact that Atletico Madrid would go two points ahead of its crosstown rivals at the La Liga summit if Diego Simeone's team wins at the Bernabeu next weekend.