Real Madrid had a tough match against Real Valladolid away from home. Things would have been easier for them from the start if Los Blancos had been awarded a penalty in the 10th minute.
Specifically, in the penalty area of the home team, Javi Sanchez let the ball touch his hand when trying to lean over to block. However, despite the pressure of the La Liga champions, referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero was determined not to blow the whistle.
In fact, Montero did the right thing, as former referee Perez Burrull said on Marca radio:
“The umpire was right because after bouncing back, The ball hit Valladolid’s hand following the natural movement of the arm. I understand that in these actions, penalties will not be awarded.”
The penalty was contested at the start of the match.
Valladolid did indeed escape the opening penalty but eventually conceded a goal from 11 yards out after 83 minutes. Karim Benzema completed the task before winning the match with a brace in the 89th minute.
The penalty near the end of the second half was the key to helping the Bernabeu team win 3 points.
Lu Feng | 09:42 December 31, 2022
