Ancelotti puzzled by referee and VAR decisions

In the 22nd round of the 2024-25 La Liga season, Real Madrid lost 0-1 to Espanyol. Coach Ancelotti was puzzled by the referee and VAR's decisions.

During the game, Romero committed a dangerous foul on Kylian Mbappe. Ancelotti thought Romero should be shown a red card, but the referee only gave him a yellow card, which Ancelotti expressed his dissatisfaction with.

At the press conference after the game, Ancelotti said: "The referee and VAR are puzzling. The most important thing is to protect the players. It was a clear foul, a very bad tackle, and there was a risk of injury."

"Luckily, Mbappe was not injured, but this action is risky. VAR exists to correct these decisions, but they didn't show a red card, which is completely incomprehensible."

Ancelotti said about the players' performance in the game: "It was a difficult game with fierce confrontation. We did well in some aspects, especially in the second half when we controlled the ball very well."

"We had a goal disallowed, hit a post and had 20 shots. The game was always under our control but the Spaniards caught us off guard with a quick counter-attack and scored. They played the game they wanted to play."

"Espanyol played very well and they defended very well. We could have played better but the result doesn't reflect our performance. We created a lot of chances. We are still in contention and now have to focus on the next game."

Real Madrid currently ranks first in La Liga with 49 points, just one point ahead of Atletico Madrid in second place. Real Madrid's next La Liga match will be on February 9, at home against Atletico Madrid.