Madrid: Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti came to Jude Bellingham’s defence over his red card, insisting the midfielder “did not insult” the referee after his goal was disallowed in 2-2 draw with Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday night.
With the score at 2-2, Bellingham scored the winning goal with the last kick of the game, but referee Gil Manzano disallowed the goal because he blew the final whistle while the ball was in the air.
Bellingham couldn’t keep his calm, furiously went to the referee and the midfielder was shown a red card by referee Manzano in the 99th minute of the match.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Ancelotti defended his player and opened up on the chaos of the situation, saying, “He (Bellingham) said: ‘it’s a f**ing goal’ and that’s the truth. Had the referee blown the whistle when the Valencia keeper cleared the ball, it would have been right, but he allowed play to continue and we had possession. I think he has made a mistake.
“The player was clear in what he said. It’s true that he came on vehemently after the goal and that’s normal. It was not an insult at all. Let’s see what the referee writes in the official report.”
Ancelotti was certainly furious about the decision not to award Bellingham’s goal. “There’s not much to say. Something unprecedented has happened and it’s never happened to me before. After the rebound we had possession. It’s never happened to me before and there’s nothing more to add. We were annoyed by Bellingham’s red card because he didn’t say anything insulting. It was frustration,” he added.
The LaLiga leaders deserved all three points, but had to settle for a point after coming back from 2-0 down. Two goals from Vini Jr. tied the match, which was finally settled by Manzano’s decision.
“We are upset and angry. It’s normal but we have to get back to normal because we have an important game on Wednesday. In the game there were good things and things we have to improve upon. We have to cool down a bit because the team is still seeing. To cool down you have to look at the table. We can still sleep well tonight,” said Ancelotti.
Bellingham will be suspended for his post-match reaction to the referee when Real Madrid play Celta Vigo in La Liga next Sunday, according to goal.com
–IANS