After the loss at the Bernabeu on January 21, Almeria coach Gaizka Garitano heavily criticized the referee’s decisions.
Meanwhile, defender Marc Pubill hinted that someone decided that Almeria was not allowed to win at the Bernabeu.
After the 4-2 win at Real Betis, when asked about Almeria’s reaction, Xavi said he sympathized with his colleague Garitano, because Barca had suffered many similar unfavorable decisions in La Liga this season.
`If we speak, we will be punished, but everyone sees that,` Barca coach expressed.
Coach Xavi directed Barca in the 2-3 loss to host Antwerp in the final round of Group H Champions League on December 13.
At the Bernabeu on January 21, Almeria suddenly led 2-0 in the first half, thanks to Largie Ramazani and Edgar Gonzalez respectively.
The controversy began in the 55th minute, when referee Francisco Jose Hernandez went to the sideline to review the video and awarded a penalty to Real.
In the 61st minute, Sergio Arribas scored a cross from close range to hit Kepa’s net, helping the away team regain their two-goal advantage.
The situation where Lopy swung his hand and hit Bellingham in the face caused the referee to deny Almerica’s goal.
Five minutes later, referee Hernandez continued to review the situation and blew a penalty in Real’s favor when recognizing Vinicius’ goal.
During the two times he was judged unfavorably by VAR, Almeria coach Gaizka Garitano held his head and complained.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti understood Almeria’s backlash but said that referee Hernandez and the VAR team made the correct decisions.
The top 3 of La Liga did not change when Girona, Real and Barca all won in round 21. Girona still holds the top of the table with 52 points, one and eight points more than Real and Barca respectively, but played one more match.