Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Espanyol was not short of drama, with a key VAR intervention becoming one of the biggest talking points of the match.
The incident came midway through the first half when referee Jesus Gil Manzano made a strong initial call.
After a challenge from Omar El Hilali on Vinicius Jr., the official wasted no time in showing a straight red card.
It looked like a decisive moment that could have changed the entire flow of the game.
However, from the VAR room, official Jorge Figueroa Vazquez stepped in to advise a second look at the challenge.
As part of the communication, he alerted the on-field referee to reconsider the severity of the tackle, which prompted an immediate review of the decision.
The VAR conversation
Once at the monitor, Gil Manzano requested to see the replay before making any final judgment.
“OK, show it to me,” said the on-field referee.
“I’ll let you see it, OK? There’s no impact, and you can see the tackle,” replied the VAR official.
As the footage rolled, the VAR team clarified their view of the incident, explaining that there was no clear contact with the studs and that the nature of the tackle might not justify a sending-off.
After a brief review, the referee reached his conclusion. Explaining his final call, he stated,
“He didn’t make contact with his studs, OK? I’m going to give him a yellow card and cancel the red card.”
The decision was overturned almost instantly, with El Hilali’s red card rescinded and replaced with a booking.
Apart from that incident, the match was also notable for the number of cautions issued.
In the referee’s official report, a total of seven players were booked during the game. Espanyol saw three names go into the book, including El Hilali, alongside Edu Exposito and Urko Gonzalez.
On the other side, Real Madrid had four players cautioned, including Brahim Diaz, Vinicius Jr., Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Gonzalo Garcia.
