Bellingham strike sparks debate as refereeing account supports Real Madrid goal

Jude Bellingham’s opening goal for Real Madrid against Malaga has been judged valid after a specialist refereeing account reviewed the incident and rejected the visitors’ claim that the England midfielder had fouled an opponent in the build-up.

The goal came in the 19th minute of the La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabeu. Bellingham made an excellent run through the Malaga defence before striking a powerful effort into the net to give Real Madrid the lead.

Malaga’s players immediately appealed for a foul on Bellingham at the start of the move. However, referee Martinez Munuera allowed the goal to stand, with no punishment awarded for the contact between the two players.

According to Archivo VAR, an account that focuses on refereeing decisions and controversial match incidents, the referee made the correct call.

“Was there a previous foul by Bellingham in Real Madrid’s first goal? No,” the account said.

It explained that Bellingham placed his hand on the chest of Angel Recio, but argued that the Malaga player went to ground after losing the contest for the ball.

“The English player puts his hand on Angel Recio’s chest, who, after losing the challenge, lets himself fall,” Archivo VAR added.

The account also highlighted the referee’s position when assessing the incident.

“Martinez Munuera, very close to the action, saw nothing punishable in the incident,” it concluded.

The decision became a talking point during a match in which Real Madrid made a fast start. A post shared on social media claimed that the Spanish side scored three times in the opening 30 minutes, describing the performance as a strong attacking display.

“Three goals in only half an hour! Real Madrid hit hard and score three goals against Malaga in the first 30 minutes of the match,” the post said.

Bellingham’s goal was therefore the subject of debate despite the referee’s decision being made on the field. Archivo VAR’s assessment supported Martinez Munuera’s view that the contact did not amount to an offence and that the goal should count.

The incident centred on the brief physical challenge between Bellingham and Recio before the finish. While Malaga’s players believed the contact should have stopped the move, the refereeing analysis concluded that Recio had gone down after losing the battle for possession rather than being unfairly brought down.

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