Printed evidence at the Metropolitano

Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho brought printed photographs of two contentious match incidents to his post-match press conference following a 1-2 defeat to Atlético Madrid. Holding up an A4 sheet of paper, the 63-year-old Portuguese manager asserted that Atlético players Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in should have received red cards during the contest. Match referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias did not dismiss either player, whereas Real Madrid played with ten men following a second-half ejection. Spanish sports outlets Marca and Sport compared the scene to Mourinho's first coaching tenure at the club between 2010 and 2013, when he frequently presented lists of officiating grievances. Mourinho addressed reporters by pointing directly to the printed sheets before opening the conference to questions.

“We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here.”

Second-half goals and dismissal

The derby stood at 0-0 at halftime before shifting during a seven-minute span in the second period. Real Madrid central defender Dean Huijsen was shown a red card in the 52nd minute following a video assistant referee review for a professional foul. Alejandro Grimaldo converted the ensuing penalty kick in the 53rd minute to put Atlético ahead, and Jonathan David doubled the lead in the 59th minute. German defender Antonio Rüdiger scored for Real Madrid in the 89th minute, but the visitors could not score an equalizer before full-time. Real Madrid's official website later published a match report stating that a poor refereeing performance decided the derby.

Objections to referee selection

Mourinho directed his post-match comments toward the Spanish refereeing technical committee (CTA) and the specific officials assigned to the match. The manager argued that the 41-year-old Ortiz Arias lacked international refereeing experience and could not handle the pressure inside the Metropolitano Stadium. He also criticized video assistant referee Daniel Jesús Trujillo Suárez, pointing to previous contested rulings involving Real Madrid in matches against Osasuna and Girona. Mourinho stated that Ortiz Arias had been appointed one week prior to kickoff, diverging from the standard 24-hour announcement practice, though he added that he did not believe the match was manipulated.

“This combination: a referee, a bad referee who has only officiated very small matches, and a VAR official with a long history. Congratulations to the referee committee for this appointment.”

Standings impact and international break

The 1-2 result leaves Real Madrid in fourth place in La Liga after seven matches, six points behind leaders FC Barcelona, coached by Hansi Flick. Barcelona maintains a perfect record without dropped points, while Atlético Madrid moved into second place and Real Betis into third. Mourinho commended his players for displaying quality and personality during the first half, stating they would enter the upcoming three-week international break with an embrace from their manager. The coach maintained that Real Madrid remains in contention for the domestic league title provided future matches feature balanced officiating.

“If they leave us alone, if they allow us to compete under equal conditions with everyone else, then there is still a long way to go.”