"One of the greatest robberies of all time" "Trying to keep the title race alive" - Real Madrid fans all blame the same person after 1-1 draw against Girona
Real Madrid fans were furious after the referee Mario Melero Lopez in their 1-1 draw against Girona in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on October 30.
He awarded Girona a dubious penalty late in the game, which Christian Stuani converted to hold the champions to a draw.
Vinicius Junior broke the deadlock for Los Blancos in the 70th minute and they seemed to be headed towards another win.
However, Blanquivermells were given a late reprieve when the match official awarded them a penalty for an apparent handball from Marco Asensio.
Replays showed the ball had rather come off the underside of his arm and that it wasn't the right call. However, the decision stood nonetheless and Stuani made no mistake from 12 yards.
FT: Real Madrid 1-1 Girona.
Real Madrid drop 2 points and the gap with Barcelona becomes only 1 point again! https://t.co/u0qFEKXoun
Adding insult to injury was Toni Kroos' red card in stoppage time. The midfielder picked up his second booking of the evening for a foul on the break.
Real Madrid have dropped points for just the second time this season in 12 games in La Liga. They remain unbeaten, although their lead at the top is cut to just a point over second-placed Barcelona.
Los Blancos fans were furious at the penalty incident as it wasn't a handball and made their frustrations known on Twitter.
One supporter felt it was a robbery while another fan felt La Liga was rigged in favor of Barcelona.
Here are some of their reactions regarding the controversial penalty:
@MadridXtra What happened today at the Santiago Bernabéu was one of the greatest robberies of all time. Real Madrid were seriously handicapped by the referee. Barcelona need to be investigated.
@MadridXtra They’re trying to keep this “title race” alive so so badly https://t.co/xX5ag4SQMp
@MadridXtra I have never seen a more rigged game than this. Preparing the league for Varcelona
@MadridXtra LaLiga in a nutshell:
-weekly terrible ref decisions
-terrible rules
-90% of this league plays low block https://t.co/FoLUBkG04b
@ghostyvx @MadridXtra This league is sooo finished and im not even joking
@MadridXtra Worst officiating since Barca - Chelsea
@MadridXtra We were robbed
@MadridXtra Bring on the super league
Real Madrid's lead over Barcelona trimmed to just a point
Real Madrid opened up a three-point lead over Barcelona following their 3-1 El Clasico victory earlier this month. However, after today's disappointing result, that has been trimmed to just one.
The penalty decision has rubbed the side up the wrong way. It will certainly be talked about for days to come, especially since it was given after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor.
Barcelona watching Real Madrid drop points at home against Girona 👁️ https://t.co/nKhSXH5DmS
To make matters worse, Real Madrid also had a goal disallowed in stoppage time. Rodrygo Goes was adjuged to have fouled Paulo Gazzaniga in the build-up to his strike.
Carlo Ancelotti's side were below their best today and will look to bounce back in their next game. They host Celtic in the UEFA Champions League on November 1.