At a glance
- Alvaro Arbeloa blasted the officials after Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Real Betis on Friday.
- Vinicius Jr. scored early for the visitors, but Hector Bellerin equalised in stoppage time.
- Madrid trail FC Barcelona by eight points, and the Catalans have the chance to make that 11 by beating Getafe on Saturday.
Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa wasn’t happy with the officials after feeling that decisions went against his team in Friday’s 1-1 draw with Real Betis.
Los Blancos looked to be taking the points home from Seville after Vinicius Jr’s early goal went unanswered. In stoppage time, however, La Masia pupil Hector Bellerin scored to make FC Barcelona’s lead eight points at the top and possibly eleven by tomorrow afternoon if they beat Getafe.
Reacting in his post-match press conference, Arbeloa said: “For me it’s very clear. It doesn’t take much in situations like this, where you use your body. You destabilise yourself a bit. But for that you have to understand a bit of football.
“And we have a problem because those who decide, don’t understand. It’s a disappointment, like many other times. It was a very clear penalty in the first half with which we could have closed out the game he added.
Arbeloa continued raging about the call
Under fire, Arbeloa said that there was “a very clear penalty, with an open hand, on a shot from Brahim”.
“There’s not much more to see, it’s very clear. As soon as they touch the arm… It’s something very basic. It’s not the first time something like this has happened to us. These are decisions that mark the game a lot.”
As for Dani Ceballos, he was cut from the squad due to a “technical decision”. Asked about this twice, Arbeloa was cryptic and said “I only take the players I find adequate” before leaving the press room at La Cartuja.
There’s also no word on Kylian Mbappe, who asked to be taken off. “I have no idea. He had discomfort and we will see how he evolves in the next few days,” Arbeloa offered.
With baited breath, it remains to be seen if Getafe can do Madrid a favour in the Coliseum.
