Iturralde Gonzalez says Cuti Romero should have been sent off in Madrid derby

The Madrid derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid was dominated by strong challenges, protests and refereeing controversy during the first half of their La Liga meeting in the seventh round of the season.

Former Spanish referee Iturralde Gonzalez said Alex Baena should have been booked after only five minutes for bringing down Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler from behind.

“It is a yellow card because he struck him with his knee from behind. It is a clear foul,” Iturralde said.

Diego Simeone protested at Guler’s reaction after the challenge, as the Real Madrid player also appealed for Baena to be cautioned. The Atletico Madrid manager was shown a yellow card.

The dispute between Guler and Baena resurfaced in the 18th minute, although neither player was booked. Iturralde felt Baena’s use of his knee had been the more dangerous element of the incident.

He also criticised the decision to caution Simeone, pointing out that two players from the Real Madrid bench had also stood up to protest.

Pablo Barrios was booked in the 35th minute for stopping a counter-attack led by Kylian Mbappe. The match produced an even more contentious moment one minute later when Jude Bellingham challenged Cuti Romero.

Bellingham was initially shown a yellow card by referee Ortiz Arias, but VAR referee Trujillo Suarez called him to the monitor to review the incident. Ortiz Arias then overturned Bellingham’s booking and instead cautioned Cuti Romero.

Iturralde believed that punishment did not go far enough and argued the Atletico defender should have been sent off.

“He tried to reach the ball, and that requires a red card. He planted his foot firmly and did not withdraw it,” he said.

The physical nature of the first half continued in the minutes that followed. Lee Kang-in made contact with Federico Valverde from behind, but no action was taken.

That decision prompted another objection from Iturralde, who described the challenge as strong and warned that it could have caused a serious injury.

The opening half therefore ended with the Madrid derby still surrounded by debate over the officials’ decisions. Strong tackles and protests had shaped the contest from the early stages, with the controversy continuing through to the final whistle.