{"id":48998,"date":"2025-11-24T01:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weisetech.dev\/fc-barcelona-noticias\/en\/all-refereeing-controversies-and-reactions-from-elche-madrid_315314_102\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T11:32:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:32:11","slug":"all-refereeing-controversies-and-reactions-from-elche-madrid_315314_102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fcbarcelonanoticias.com\/en\/laliga\/all-refereeing-controversies-and-reactions-from-elche-madrid_315314_102.html","title":{"rendered":"Real Madrid’s two goals in Elche should have been disallowed by VAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dean Huijsen and Jude Bellingham’s goals that prevented Real Madrid’s defeat in Elche (2-2) should have been disallowed for handball and a prior foul overlooked by referee Hern\u00e1ndez Maeso<\/h2> \r\n
\r\n \r\n \r\n Calendar of FC Barcelona <\/a>\r\n<\/div>

Real Madrid avoided defeat in Elche (2-2)<\/a> in a match conditioned by refereeing controversies. The two goals scored by Xabi Alonso’s team in the final stretch of the match were preceded by illegal actions that should have been sanctioned by the referees.<\/p>

However, neither the main referee Francisco Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez<\/strong> Maeso nor Mario Melero L\u00f3pez,<\/strong> in charge of VAR, noticed a handball by Jude Bellingham<\/strong> and a foul by Vinicius Jr.<\/strong> prior to the goals scored by Dean Huijsen<\/strong> and Bellingham<\/strong> himself.<\/p>

Madrid was coming off two consecutive games without scoring (Liverpool and Rayo<\/strong>) and started losing with a goal from Aleix Febas<\/strong> in the 53rd minute. Later, in the 84th minute, \u00c1lvaro Rodr\u00edguez<\/strong> put the home team ahead again.<\/p>

A ‘Merengue’ defeat would have returned the lead to FC Barcelona for the first time since matchday 8, but ultimately the ‘White House’ maintains the top spot in the standings with a 1-point advantage<\/a> ‘thanks’ to refereeing errors at the Mart\u00ednez Valero. <\/p>

Bellingham’s Hand Before Dean Huijsen’s 1-1<\/h2>

In the 78th minute, Dean Huijsen scored the partial 1-1<\/strong> after a corner kick in favor of Real Madrid, where Bellingham managed to flick the ball towards the six-yard box, where the Spanish center-back appeared unmarked to push the ball into the net.<\/p>

First goal: Bellingham uses the ‘hand of god’ to assist Huijsen.

Second goal: Vinicius kicks Pe\u00f1a in the face making him bleed just before the goal.

No VAR checks, nothing. And then Florentino Perez has the audacity to whine about referees \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/iBwA8Nhrv5<\/a><\/p> \u2014 Bar\u00e7aTimes (@BarcaTimes) November 23, 2025<\/a> <\/blockquote>

The English midfielder’s assist, however, was illegal, as the ball hit his left arm after being headed by David Affengruber<\/strong>. The play was very difficult for the linesman or the main referee Hern\u00e1ndez Maeso to see, which is why it had to be reviewed by VAR.<\/p>

However, Melero L\u00f3pez did not call the handball by Jude and the goal stood<\/strong>. The Elche players did not protest the play either, as the speed of the action made it impossible to see the ball hitting the English international’s hand with the naked eye.<\/p>

Vinicius’s knee strike to I\u00f1aki Pe\u00f1a before Bellingham’s goal<\/h2>
\"Vinicius's
Vinicius’s foul on I\u00f1aki Pe\u00f1a in Elche-Madrid (2-2)<\/div> <\/div> <\/div>

The most controversial action of the Elche-Madrid match, however, took place in the 86th minute. After a shot by Bellingham that was only partially saved by I\u00f1aki Pe\u00f1a, Vinicius Jr. went for the rebound, but instead of making contact with the ball, he ended up colliding with the Alicante goalkeeper<\/strong><\/p>

The play continued and Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, on the byline, returned the ball to the center of the box, where Bellingham appeared to score at point-blank range. Pe\u00f1a could not recover, as the collision with Vinicius caused bleeding from his nose<\/strong>.<\/p>

The Brazilian struck I\u00f1aki’s face with his left knee<\/strong> and, although VAR reviewed the play, it ultimately deemed it a natural part of the game and, therefore, there was no foul by Vini. In the post-match press conference, the goalkeeper on loan from Bar\u00e7a and the \u00c9ibar coach, Eder Sarabia, criticized the referee’s decision.<\/p>

Eder Sarabia and I\u00f1aki Pe\u00f1a criticized the VAR decision after Vinicius’s foul<\/h2>

“Vinicius’s play, you’ve already seen his face. I\u00f1aki says it’s part of the game. He didn’t see the play. He clears the ball and Vinicius kicks him. And that same play comes from a foul that wasn’t a foul,” Sarabia argued.<\/p>

I\u00f1aki Pe\u00f1a, who had told ‘Movistar’ that he did not believe there was malicious intent from Vinicius in the play, backtracked upon seeing the broadcast images. The goalkeeper ultimately lamented the VAR’s stance and the match’s outcome.<\/p>

“**For me it is a foul because he goes for the ball and doesn’t let me play…** but if the referee goes to VAR and says it’s not… We can’t do anything,” the Bar\u00e7a youth player pointed out. In that regard, Eder Sarabia added: “It makes me angry to have to waste time on these things. There have been factors that have conditioned the final result.”<\/p>

With the draw, Elche remains undefeated at home and has 16 points, staying in 11th place in the standings. The ‘franjiverdes’, on their home turf, have accumulated 5 draws and 2 wins since their return to La Liga.<\/p>