Real Madrid’s second half comeback against Almeria was overshadowed by VAR, and a game that had 14 minutes of extra time was rife with speculation about the calls made in the game. So much so that Almeria players told the press about the forces at play acting against them, suggesting that they simply could not win at the Bernabeu in spite of going two goals up.
Defender Edgar Gonzalez scored an impressive long-range goal from 25 yards out, showing how poor Real Madrid were in defence against the relegation battlers.
Real Madrid’s comeback against Almeria involves VAR drama
Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez intervened thrice as the VAR official, first awarding Madrid a penalty correctly for a handball. And then ruling out Almeria’s goal for a foul on Jude Bellingham in the build-up. Perhaps the decision to award the foul was soft, with the nature of the contact involved. But since the contact was with his face, the referee decided it was unfair.
The third and final call however, was controversial as Vinicius Jr was being judged for handling the ball ahead of the equaliser.
The on-field referee observed a handball, but reviews made it impossible to determine whether it was actually so due to the camera angles.
As a result, even though Madrid took the points, they only did so by the skin of their teeth and a lot of luck involved. And a lot will be asked of the decisions made in the game even in the days to follow.
