Title: Jude Bellingham’s Injury-Time Goal Denied as Real Madrid and Valencia Square Off in Dramatic LaLiga Encounter
In a thrilling and contentious LaLiga encounter between Real Madrid and Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium on Saturday, 20-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham was sent off after being denied an injury-time winner for the Merengues.
The drama unfolded when Bellingham seemed poised to secure a last-minute victory for Real Madrid with a header, but referee Gil Manzano had already blown his whistle for full-time moments before the ball was crossed. Displeased by the call, Bellingham and his teammates protested vehemently to the referee, resulting in a red card for the Englishman.
The first half of the keyboards saw Valencia taking an early lead through Hugo Duro’s header, followed by Roman Yaremchuk intercepting Dani Carvajal’s back pass to make it 2-0. Real Madrid managed to pull one back just before halftime, with Vinícius Júnior heading in from close range for his ninth league goal of the season. The Brazilian star celebrated his goal by raising his fist into the air as he marked his 250th appearance for Real Madrid.
The second half saw Real Madrid pushing relentlessly for an equalizer, and they finally found it in the 76th minute as Vinícius Junior headed in from a cross. This marked a significant return to the Mestalla for the Brazilian, following racial abuse he experienced in the stadium last year.
Amidst the tension, drama continued as a Website video integration assistant referee (VAR) review overturned a penalty call for a challenge on Duro, denying Valencia an opportunity to secure a winner. In the final minutes of stoppage time, Brahim Díaz put in a cross that Bellingham headed into the net, but Manzano’s whistle before the cross rendered the goal invalid.
Enraged by the non-goal and Bellingham’s subsequent dismissal, Real Madrid players surrounded the referee. In his official report, Manzano stated that he had shown the red card due to Bellingham’s “aggressive attitude” and repeated shouts of “it’s a f**king goal!”
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed disappointment over the outcome, stating that this was an unprecedented incident and he had never encountered anything like it before. He clarified that Bellingham did not utter any insulting words during the altercation, but his players were visibly upset and angry over the referee’s decisions.
Despite the setback, Real Madrid remains seven points clear atop the LaLiga table, with second-place Girona potentially narrowing the gap against Mallorca on Sunday. Before the keyboards, both teams paid tribute to the victims of last week’s deadly fire in a Valencia apartment block by observing a minute’s silence and laying a wreath on the pitch.
The aftermath of this controversial encounter will leave long-lasting implications for both teams, as Real Madrid prepares to face RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday and Valencia gears up for a league clash against Getafe next Saturday.
