Real Madrid penalty debate reignites as Spanish outlet highlights earlier Diomande incident

The refereeing decisions in Real Madrid’s match against Racing Santander have come under renewed scrutiny after club-linked outlet Defensa Central claimed there was internal frustration over a penalty appeal involving Yan Diomande, just minutes before Kylian Mbappe was awarded a spot-kick.

The incident involving Diomande came in the fifth minute. The Racing Santander player moved into the penalty area from the left and delivered a cross before going down following contact with a defender.

Referee Munuera Montero waved play on, while the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) did not intervene to review the incident.

Defensa Central reported that Diomande was injured in the collision and remained on the pitch for several minutes. However, it said the incident did not attract the same attention as the penalty awarded to Mbappe in the 11th minute.

Mbappe converted from the spot to put Real Madrid ahead, with the Champions League side going on to win 3-0.

Racing Santander strongly protested against the decision to award Real Madrid a penalty, arguing that the contact with the France striker was not sufficient to bring him down. Defensa Central, however, said the failure to punish the earlier challenge on Diomande was another decision that should have gone in Real Madrid’s favour.

Real Madrid compares decisions involving Camavinga and Budimir

Defensa Central also referred to a previous decision against Real Madrid involving Eduardo Camavinga and striker Budimir at El Sadar two seasons ago, in a match the Madrid side lost.

A penalty was awarded against Real Madrid after Camavinga’s challenge on Budimir. The outlet argued that the two incidents were comparable and questioned why a spot-kick had been given in the earlier case but not for the challenge on Diomande against Racing Santander.

It also noted that Real Madrid’s official channel had revisited the Camavinga incident to draw a comparison between the two decisions.

Defensa Central concluded that the debate over Mbappe’s penalty should not overshadow the Diomande incident that had taken place several minutes earlier. Its view was that Real Madrid had been awarded one penalty during the match despite not receiving another for an earlier incident involving the same team.

Real Madrid’s upcoming fixtures listed alongside the report include a Champions League match against AEK Athens on 04 November 2026 and a La Liga meeting with Malaga on 07 November 2026. Racing Santander are also listed as a forthcoming opponent for Real Madrid.

Elsewhere, Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal responded to recent disappointments against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, as well as missing out on the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with an outstanding display against Deportivo Alaves.

Yamal scored twice and provided an assist in that match, underlining his ability to regain his form and continue his impressive record for the Catalan club.