"No words" - Almeria star compares Real Madrid's robbery to iconic Chelsea vs Barcelona UCL clash in 2009
Almeria attacker Largie Ramazani compared his side's 3-2 defeat against Real Madrid to the iconic Chelsea and Barcelona Champions League semi-final in 2009.
Los Blancos managed to come back and win Sunday's fixture (January 21) at the Santiago Bernabeu from two goals down. However, the game was filled with controversial moments that involved the VAR.
Jude Bellingham halved the deficit from the spot after an unconvincing decision from the official to award the spot kick for handball (57'). Soon after, Almeria were denied a third goal for a foul in the build-up that could have gone the other way on another day.
In the 67th minute, Vinicius Junior equalised for Carlo Ancelotti's men, a goal that seemingly came off the top of the Brazilian's arm. Dani Carvajal ensured Real Madrid took all three points by snatching a late winner in injury time.
After the match, Ramazani, who scored within the first minute of the game, took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared his disappointment. He wrote while sharing a video of Didier Drogba's foul-mouthed rant from 2009:
"No words."
In the clash between Chelsea and Barcelona 15 years ago, the Catalan side emerged victorious after a 1-1 scoreline on aggregate was decided on away goals. The Blues had multiple handball decisions snubbed before Andres Iniesta scored in the 93rd minute to equalise for 10-man Barcelona.
An unhappy Drogba called the officiating a 'disgrace' following this tie. He was handed a six-match ban for his comments.
Almeria coach Gaizka Garitano reacts after loss against Real Madrid
Almeria coach Gaizka Garitano, who was cautioned and eventually sent off during his side's 3-2 loss against Real Madrid, expressed his concerns over refereeing decisions from the match.
His side were in desperate need of three points as they currently sit rock-bottom of La Liga, with just six points after 21 matches. They're 10 behind Sevilla, who are 17th and a point clear of the drop zone.
Speaking after the match, Garitano said (via The Athletic):
"You’ve all seen the game, if I give my opinion… they punish us coaches for talking. So my opinion does not matter, you all saw what happened.”
“I don’t usually talk about the referees. It’s not the first time it’s happened to me here. And everyone saw what happened in the game today. What do you want me to say, I’ve not got words to describe what happened here today, what am I going to say?”
Almeria will host Alaves for their next league clash on Friday (January 26). Meanwhile, Real Madrid, who are second and a point behind leaders Girona with a game in hand, take on Las Palmas on Saturday (January 27).