The goal that enraged Real Madrid: woman referee, clash, controversy | OneFootball

Real Madrid Women left Manchester with a draw that could have been a win. Pau Quesada’s side drew 1-1 with Manchester City on matchday two of the Champions League, but the game ended up being marked by a controversial incident in the closing stages that denied Madrid the chance to celebrate a 1-2 winner.

The main figure in the play was Sílvia Cristóbal. In the 89th minute, the Madrid defender collected a loose ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a spectacular strike that flew into the top corner of the goal defended by Ayaka Yamashita. The goal appeared to put Real Madrid ahead, but the celebration lasted only a few seconds.

Italian referee Silvia Gasperotti had already stopped play. As she was moving back, the referee collided with Beth Mead, a Manchester City player, in an incident that ended up affecting the move. Gasperotti judged that the contact had prevented the English player from challenging for the ball and decided to signal the stoppage before Cristóbal unleashed her powerful shot.

The decision immediately sparked protests from the Madrid bench. Pau Quesada could not understand why play had been stopped before seeing how the move ended and showed his disbelief toward the referee. "I’ve never seen this in my f***ing life. This isn’t the Champions League, it’s something else," the coach was heard saying during the match. Afterwards, he explained that, in his view, the referee could have allowed play to continue so that it could later be reviewed.

Athenea del Castillo also expressed her surprise after the match. The player admitted that from the pitch they were not entirely sure what had happened, although she felt the goal looked legitimate and questioned how an incident like that could end a clear scoring chance before a review even came into play.

The controversy came after a match in which Real Madrid had taken the lead thanks to Linda Caicedo. The Colombian put Los Blancos ahead in the 29th minute after finishing off a quick counterattack, although Khadija Shaw equalised shortly after the break.

At 1-1, both teams pushed for the win in an open final stretch. Madrid even had a great chance through Irune, while City also threatened Frohms’ goal. And just when it seemed the match could swing either way, the incident arrived that will still be talked about.

In the end, the score did not change and Real Madrid had to settle for a point. Both Los Blancos and Manchester City have two points after the first two matchdays of the league phase, while the controversy over Sílvia Cristóbal’s disallowed goal has become one of the most talked-about moments of the European night.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.