Another Day at the Office: Munuera Montero Spares a Clear Red Card for Azpilicueta

José Luis Munuera Montero didn’t take long to cause a stir against FC Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. In the 8th minute, the Andalusian referee issued a yellow card for a very harsh foul by César Azpilicueta on Raphinha. The full-back arrived late to a 50-50 ball, digging his studs into the left calf of the Brazilian. The Valencian Juan Martínez Munuera, from the VAR, warned that it was a violent action.

However, despite heeding the call from the VOR room and reviewing the play on the monitor, the referee maintained his initial decision. Yellow card and a free kick in midfield in favor of Barça. Azpilicueta even had the luxury of vehemently protesting the initial decision, claiming it was the first foul of the match. Diego Simeone, for his part, also protested angrily upon seeing Munuera Montero go to the monitor, for which he was also cautioned.

Munuera Montero Let Too Much Go in the First Half

The images from the broadcast were clear. The tackle by Atlético's '3' deserved a red card, as besides arriving late, he could have injured Raphinha due to reckless action. The first half featured a lot of rough play from the 'colchoneros', with yellow cards for Reinildo and Rodrigo de Paul for hard fouls on Lamine Yamal and Rafa himself. For Barça, Frenkie de Jong was also cautioned for stepping on De Paul.

Despite the continuous interruptions, the culés were clearly superior in the first half. Hansi Flick's plan worked very well, with Frenkie and Pedri dominating the midfield and a lively Lamine on the right. It was his assist that opened the scoring in the 27th minute, with an exquisite through ball for Ferran Torres, who, on the run, finished with a touch, anticipating the goalkeeper Musso. Despite Munuera Montero, Barça did their job in the first 45 minutes.

Nahuel Molina also escaped expulsion in the second half

In the 59th minute, Munuera Montero once again handed the home side another red card. This time it was Nahuel Molina who escaped expulsion after a harsh challenge on Eric García. The number 24 spent several seconds on the pitch complaining about the Argentine's infraction, but ultimately the South American full-back was only given a yellow card. This time, there was no VAR call. It didn't matter, though, knowing the referee's opinion.