Valencia’s Pablo Maffeo criticises refereeing after Real Madrid take control

Pablo Maffeo criticised the refereeing after Valencia fell 2-0 behind to Real Madrid at half-time in their La Liga match at Mestalla.

The Valencia right-back was unhappy with a number of decisions, including the foul awarded to Kylian Mbappe which led to Real Madrid’s opening goal.

Speaking to DAZN during the interval, Maffeo initially said he did not want to take part in the interview because the timing was inappropriate while the match was still under way. He then agreed to answer the questions.

“All we need is for the referee to be fairer,” said Maffeo. “I don’t think the first goal came from a foul, and that affects us.”

The decision followed an incident involving Maffeo and Mbappe. Real Madrid used the resulting free-kick to launch the attack from which Federico Valverde scored.

Arda Guler then added a second goal before the break to give the visitors a two-goal advantage.

Maffeo accepted that Valencia needed to improve their performance, particularly in reaching the opposition penalty area more effectively. However, he insisted that his side had remained competitive despite the deficit.

The match was listed as a La Liga fixture between Valencia and Real Madrid, with another Valencia fixture against Celta Vigo shown for 21 November 2026.

A Copa del Rey listing involving Tavernes de la Valldigna and Valencia was dated 10 November 2026.