Scandal! No obvious straight red card given for foul on Vinicius?
The match had barely started before the first major refereeing controversy erupted.
Details: In the third minute of Espanyol's La Liga clash with Real Madrid, Álex Calatrava, known as Cala, kicked Vinicius Junior while the Brazilian was on the ground. The episode occurred after play had already been stopped, but referee José María Sánchez Martínez did not show the Espanyol player a card, while VAR official Jorge Figueroa Vázquez did not recommend an on-field review.
Archivo VAR strongly criticized the decision and argued that Cala should have been sent off. According to the refereeing analysis account, the force of the kick was not particularly high, but the action had no sporting purpose and was directed solely at Vinicius while the ball was out of play.
The incident was also highlighted during AS's live coverage. Former referee Eduardo Iturralde González gave a less severe assessment, calling the challenge a clear yellow-card offence and stressing that there was no excessive force. Nevertheless, no disciplinary sanction was issued following the episode.
The controversy came almost immediately after kick-off at the RCDE Stadium, where Real Madrid were playing their first La Liga match of the season and the first official league fixture of José Mourinho's second spell in charge.
It is worth noting that 26-year-old Cala joined Espanyol in the summer of 2026 after an impressive campaign with Castellón, where he recorded 14 goals and eight assists in Spain's second division.
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Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
