That's How Soto Grado's Show Went at the Bernabéu: All the Controversies of the Clásico

FC Barcelona fell in their visit to Real Madrid (2-1) in a Clásico that had César Soto Grado as the protagonist. The referee from La Rioja lived up to the adverse record against the Azulgrana team (6 defeats in 15 matches), committing several errors that were decisive for the final result.

Two nonexistent penalties favoring the 'merengue' team and another by Dani Carvajal on Ronald Araujo that went unnoticed were the referee's most controversial decisions in his second Clásico. Javier Iglesias Villanueva, from VAR, started more assertively, but was also erratic in the second half.

Next, at FCBN we review all the refereeing controversies of Real Madrid 2-1 FC Barcelona.

Soto Grado's Mistakes in the First Half of Real Madrid-Barça

📌Lamine Yamal's penalty on Vinicius: before the 2nd minute of the match, Soto Grado whistled a foul by Lamine Yamal on Vinicius Jr. The broadcast images, however, showed that the Madrid forward caught his foot on the Barça youth player. After reviewing the action on the monitor, the referee reversed his decision.

📌Dean Huijsen's elbow on Pau Cubarsí: in the 43rd minute, Jude Bellingham took advantage of a high pass from Éder Militao, arriving at the end line to push the ball into the goal. The Englishman was unmarked after a possible elbow from Dean Huijsen on Pau Cubarsí when both defenders jumped to try to head the ball.

Controversial refereeing decisions in the second half of the Clásico

📌Eric García's handball penalty: in the 49th minute, Bellingham connected with a cross after breaking down the right. The ball deflected off Eric García's hand due to a fortuitous rebound, sending the ball out for a corner. Soto Grado, initially, awarded the corner kick, but Iglesias Villanueva convinced him to go to VAR. After reviewing the play on the monitor, the referee from La Rioja whistled for a penalty that, luckily, Szczesny managed to save from Mbappé.

📌Yellow card spared for Bellingham: in the 55th minute, Soto Grado sanctioned a clear slap to Pedri's neck when challenging for a ball with Bellingham. The English player's foul deserved a yellow card, but the referee spared the '5'.

📌Carvajal's penalty on Araujo: in the 90+2', Ronald Araujo, already as a reference in the area, tried to bring down a high pass, but Dani Carvajal clearly pushed him, loading his right arm onto the 'charrúa's' back, who fell spectacularly inside the area. The foul was clear, but neither Soto Grado nor Iglesias Villanueva whistled anything.

• Follow the complete coverage of the Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona Clásico on FC Barcelona Noticias