MADRID ‘BOTHERED’ BY BELLINGHAM RED CARD
England player sent off after controversial final whistle in draw at Valencia
REAL Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday his side were “bothered” after midfielder Jude Bellingham was sent off after the controversial final whistle in the 2-2 La Liga draw at Valencia.
England’s Bellingham was shown a red card after protesting after referee Jesus Gil Manzano blew for time an instant before Bellingham hit what would have been a 99th-minute winner at the Mestalla.
Manzano blew as Brahim Diaz whipped in his would-be assist. Madrid players, coaches and substitutes flooded the pitch to confront the referee and Bellingham
earned a red card.
“I think what’s happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti said.
“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball. What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting.
“He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.
Madrid’s second draw in three league games leaves the 35-time Spanish champions seven points clear of second-placed Girona.
On Wednesday, Ancelotti’s outfit welcome RB Leipzig in the Champions League last 16 second leg, with a 1-0 aggregate lead.
The hosts in central Spain led 20 after just half an hour as striker Hugo Duro and Roman Yaremchuk put Valencia in the lead.
Real’s reaction came five minutes into first-half injury time with Vinicius Junior’s first goal.
The Brazil attacker then equalised with 14 minutes to play.
Earlier, a reshuffled Real Sociedad went down to a fourth defeat in their last five matches with a 3-2 loss to Sevilla ahead of their Champions League second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
This second consecutive setback in La Liga plunges the Basques into doubt just three days before they host PSG hoping to turn round a 2-0 first-leg deficit.