Offside or penalty? Controversial referee decision in Barcelona vs Real match

The fourth El Clásico of the current season is underway in Catalonia. This time, Barcelona and Real Madrid are clashing in La Liga. A win for the Catalans would all but guarantee them the league title, while a victory for the visitors would boost Los Blancos’ chances of lifting the trophy.

Real Madrid broke the deadlock early in the match, and not without some controversy surrounding the referee’s decisions.

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During a deep pass, Kylian Mbappé was in an offside position. However, the ball reached the French forward after deflecting off a Barcelona defender. As a result, the officials ruled the offside to be passive.

Once Mbappé received the ball, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny committed a foul against the striker.

By the 16th minute, Real Madrid were leading Barcelona 2-0. Should the match end in a win for Los Blancos, Barcelona’s advantage at the top of the table would be cut to just one point with three rounds left in the championship.