Mourinho brandishes 'red card' printouts after Real's derby defeat

Jose Mourinho arrived at his post‑match news conference holding an A4 sheet with screenshots of two first‑half incidents he insisted should have been red cards, as Real Madrid fell 2–1 to Atletico Madrid in a derby decided by refereeing controversy and Dean Huijsen’s second‑half dismissal.

The two incidents Mourinho highlighted

Mourinho focused on:

• Cristian Romero on Jude Bellingham (37th minute): After a 50‑50 challenge, referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias initially booked Bellingham, but VAR recommended a review for mistaken identity. Ortiz Arias rescinded Bellingham’s yellow and instead cautioned Romero for stepping on his knee/thigh with his studs—though many in the Real camp argued it merited a sending‑off.
• Lee Kang‑in on Federico Valverde (45th minute): Lee went through Valverde’s standing leg/ankle with a studs‑up challenge. No card was shown and VAR did not intervene. Spanish media later reported the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) deemed it a red‑card offence and one of the match’s biggest errors.

“We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here… Those were two clear red cards,” Mourinho said, adding: “I want to believe they are simply mistakes… I don’t want to say this was a prepared incident.”

Huijsen red and the turning point

The game turned after the break when Dean Huijsen was sent off for pulling back Giuliano Simeone in the box. Ortiz Arias first showed a yellow and awarded a penalty, then upgraded to red after a VAR monitor review. Alejandro Grimaldo converted the spot‑kick (53rd) before Jonathan David added a second; Real’s consolation came through Kylian Mbappe.

Mourinho praised his players’ pride despite the circumstances: “I liked their pride, I liked their determination… it’s a good feeling for me to not be disappointed in my players.”

Simeone: “We controlled the match”

Diego Simeone declined to engage deeply with the refereeing debate, stressing respect for officials. “We have to know how to respect others, the referees, our colleagues and we all lose out. And when someone crosses that line of respect, it’s not right,” he said. On the performance, he added: “The match I watched was an intense one, where I think we controlled it at all times.”

League picture

The defeat leaves Real Madrid fourth, six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, while Atletico move second, five points off the top. La Liga resumes on Friday, 9 October after the international break.