Carlo Ancelotti is renowned for his unflappable demeanour under pressure but the Real Madrid manager could not keep his feelings under the check when the award of an 80th-minute penalty saw his team concede to draw 1-1 with Girona on Sunday. At the risk of attracting sanctions, the Italian tactician accused the officials of fabricating the penalty offence.
“I don't like to speak about these things,” he disclaimed in the post-match conference, “but I'm going to speak about it. It's quite clear that it is not a penalty because it doesn't hit his hand as it hit his chest. His left hand was in a strange position, and if he touched the ball with his hand there could be a doubt. But he didn't. They invented it. That affected the game."
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Particularly galling for the Madrid camp is that the penalty was retroactively awarded by VAR, after Marco Asensio was ruled to have handled a Girona corner in the 78th minute. This means the officials were 100% sure it was a penalty, though veteran defender Dani Carvajal does not agree: "Impossible…it's not possible.
Clarity is required as far as the handball rule is concerned as players are still not sure what constitutes an offence and what does not. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois does not believe Asensio's handball would have been awarded in the Champions League but the competition should not matter. The rule should be universal. “Sometimes it's a handball,” said the Belgian, “sometimes not. We don't know when it's the case.”
Was the Madrid reaction proportional?
The source of Ancelotti's tension is not clear as Madrid still sit comfortably at the top of La Liga, undefeated after 12 rounds. Dropping points at home may be costly in a title run-in against Barcelona but Madrid's destiny is in their own hands. Perhaps drawing at home against a team that began the day's play in the relegation zone dented the Italian's pride.
