El Clasico VAR Drama: Millimeter Offside Denies Real Madrid Early Lead
What would El Clasico be without controversial refereeing decisions? This edition delivered early drama, with three major VAR interventions in the opening 15 minutes alone—a penalty awarded then overturned, and Kylian Mbappe’s goal disallowed for the narrowest of offside calls.
Mbappe’s Disallowed Goal: Offside by a Centimeter
Just 12 minutes into the match, Mbappe found himself unexpectedly clear through on goal. Arda Guler won possession in midfield and slipped a perfect through ball to the French forward, who calmly finished into the bottom right corner. Real Madrid players celebrated, but VAR intervened immediately.
Referee Cesar Soto Grado signaled he was checking for a potential offside against Mbappe—and then demonstrated with his fingers just how close the decision was. “That close!” his gesture seemed to say.
The replay showed a tiny portion of Mbappe’s foot beyond the last defender—enough to rule out what would have been the opening goal.
Redemption: Mbappe’s Legitimate Equalizer
Ten minutes later, Real Madrid got it right. Jude Bellingham controlled possession and played a perfectly timed through ball to send Mbappe one-on-one with the goalkeeper. This time, the French striker masterfully timed his run, catching Alejandro Balde slightly delayed on the flank.
VAR quickly reviewed the goal and confirmed: no offside. The equalizer stood, and Real Madrid had their deserved goal.
Early Penalty Drama: Awarded Then Overturned
The refereeing controversy began just two minutes into the match. Vinicius Junior burst into the penalty area from the flank and was preparing to shoot when Lamine Yamal attempted a sliding tackle. The Brazilian made contact with Yamal’s leg and went down, and the referee immediately pointed to the spot.
But video assistants called Soto Grado to review—and he reversed his decision. Replays showed it was actually the Madrid player who committed the foul.
Former referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez explained: “The penalty wasn’t given because of Vinicius’ foul. Even though Lamine Yamal didn’t fully place his foot, it was Vinicius who attacked the space where Yamal was placing his foot… So this is Vinicius’ infringement.”
A complex situation, but the reasoning became clear upon review.
Match Continues Without Further Controversy
Barcelona equalized late in the first half through Fermin Lopez’s immediate finish, but Real Madrid managed to retake the lead before halftime as Jude Bellingham added a goal to his earlier assist.
The remainder of the match unfolded without further contentious refereeing decisions, allowing the football to take center stage in this classic encounter.
