Real Madrid 3-2 Leganés: armed robbery at the Bernabéu to keep LaLiga 'alive'

Real Madrid remains alive in LaLiga EA Sports 2024-25 thanks to refereeing assistance. This Saturday, the main referee Pablo González Fuertes and the VAR official, Mario Melero López, managed to nullify a combative Leganés who, despite the refereeing errors against them, sold their defeat dearly and deserved at least to take a point from the Santiago Bernabéu (3-2).

Leganés went into halftime with the lead, despite González Fuertes

The 'pepinero' team held the zero in their goal during the first half hour thanks to the interventions of Dimitrovic. The Serbian goalkeeper cleared a very dangerous shot from Kylian Mbappé in the 25th minute. Previously, Sergio González had a goal-line clearance, heading away a close-range shot from Luka Modric. Madrid struggled to reach the opponent's area clearly, but around the half-hour mark, referee González Fuertes appeared to give the locals a boost.

In the 29th minute, the referee sanctioned a non-existent foul by Óscar Rodríguez on Arda Güler. The TV replay clearly showed that it was the Turk who got tangled up with the '7' of Lega, but VAR backed the decision of the Asturian referee. Mbappé took the penalty, delicately chipping the ball over Dimitrovic. Despite the blow of the 1-0, the team led by Borja Jiménez would react immediately.

A minute after 'Kiki's' goal, Diego García equalized the score, after a quick break from the visitors on the right, thanks to a through ball from Juan Cruz. Fran García did not close down in time and ended up enabling the rival forward. The goal was a real blow for Madrid. Six minutes later, in the 41st minute, Dani Raba would score to make it 1-2, finishing another lightning attack from Lega, this time led by Óscar from the left. Carlo Ancelotti's men left the field to boos at halftime, but they would not take long to get back into the match.

Madrid managed to equalize with another illegal goal

In the 47th minute, in the first dangerous action of the second half, Jude Bellingham caught a rebound off the crossbar after a shot from Brahim Díaz, in a play initiated by the English midfielder himself with a shot from the edge of the area cleared by Dimitrovic. The goal, however, should have been disallowed, as at the moment of Jude's decisive shot, Eduardo Camavinga, clearly offside, obstructed Dimitrovic on the goal line. VAR, once again, turned a blind eye.

A couple of minutes after the 2-2, Diego García claimed a penalty against Bellingham himself, but González Fuertes considered that the 'pepinero' forward tripped while running. The contact with the Englishman was clear, much more than the penalty awarded against Güler, but there was no way Madrid could let this match slip away. Already Celta, in the Copa round of 16, suffered something similar this season. A scandal.

Mbappé completed the rout with another controversy

Madrid cornered Lega in their area and the 3-2 finally came in the 76th minute, as it could not be otherwise, with another controversy. A clean tackle by Renato Tapia, on the edge of the area, was sanctioned as a foul and a yellow card for the Peruvian due to Rodrygo Goes' fall. Mbappé took the free kick and, after a slight deflection in the wall that surprised Dimitrovic, the ball ended up in the back of the net.

In the final minutes, Lega sought the equalizer and created some danger with a header from Munir that went slightly wide. In stoppage time, there was another foul by Raúl Asencio on Diomande that could well have been sanctioned as a penalty, but never this Saturday. Another day at the office for the 'merengues', who once again equalized with Barça at the top of the table with 63 points. The culés will return to be sole leaders this Sunday if they add their ninth consecutive victory and, of course, the referees do not mess up in favor of Girona. Indeed, in this League, every match is a risk zone due to so much refereeing criminality.

Match technical sheet: Real Madrid 3-2 Leganés

• Real Madrid, 3: Lunin; Lucas Vázquez (min. 72, Valverde), Raúl Asencio, Rüdiger, Fran García; Camavinga, Bellingham, Modric (min, 81, Tchouaméni); Arda Güller (min. 62, Rodrygo), Brahim Díaz (min. 62, Vinicius) y Mbappé.
• Leganés, 2: Dimitrovic; Javi Hernández, Nastasic, Sergio González, Rosier; Renato Tapia (min, 86, Brasanac), Öscar Rodríguez, Yvan Neyou (min. 66, Cissé); Dani Raba (min, 86, Escudero), Diego García (min, 83, Munir) y Juan Cruz (min, 86, Diomande).
• Goals: 1-0, Kylian Mbappé (min. 32); 1-1, Diego García (min. 33); 1-2, Dani Raba (min. 41); 2-2, Jude Bellingham (min. 47); 3-2, Kylian Mbappé (min. 76)
• Referee: González Fuertes. He cautioned Javier Hernández, Diego García, Renato Tapia, and Óscar Rodríguez for Leganés. Also Raúl Asencio for Real Madrid. He sanctioned a non-existent penalty against Arda Güler in the 29th minute.
• Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid).
• Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 29 of LaLiga EA Sports 2024-25.