"We are destroying football." Sociedad coach Alguacil on penalties in favor of Real Madrid

One of the key matches of La Liga's fifth round was the clash between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid. The Basque team performed admirably, creating several excellent chances, but victory went to Los Blancos thanks to two penalty kicks. Real Sociedad's head coach, Imanol Alguacil, believes the referee should not have awarded the second penalty.

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Details: Real Sociedad played well in yesterday’s match and had opportunities to score. Madrid also created their chances but struggled to find the net. Everything changed in the 58th minute when Sergio Gomez, due to a careless handball in the penalty area, gifted Real Madrid a penalty. Vinícius Júnior successfully converted it.

The hosts fought hard to equalize, but the decisive moment came when Jon Aramburu fouled Vinícius in the box. After a VAR review, the referee awarded another penalty, which Kylian Mbappé calmly converted.

After the match, Imanol Alguacil expressed his frustration, stating that only the first penalty was justified and that the second decision was incorrect. The Spanish coach believes such refereeing decisions ruin the essence of football.

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Quote: "For me, there was only one penalty. It's a disgrace—if we're going to award such penalties, we're truly destroying football. I don't like it. If we want everyone to enjoy this game, I think certain things need to change."

He further added:

"I think we played a great match. We did a lot of good things, but what strong teams like Real Madrid have is the ability to put you down 0-2 without playing brilliantly. Last year, I believe we also played well but lost 0-1.

We’ve improved in many aspects—defensively, offensively, in personality and character. But it doesn’t make sense to play the way we did if we don’t give it consistency. We must continue working hard."

Reminder: For Real Madrid, this was their third victory in five matches, alongside two draws. They currently sit second in the table, trailing Barcelona by one point, but the Catalans are set to play Girona later today.

Real Sociedad, with just four points, are currently in 16th place in the standings.