Rayo Vallecano coach addresses debate over Vinicius’ penalty incident – ‘I think it was…’

Rayo Vallecano’s coach, Inigo Perez, was asked about a controversial incident that took place in the final moments of the match. The situation involved Abdul Mumin’s kick on Vinicius Jr. inside the penalty area, which the referee chose not to penalize.

Perez, known for his straightforwardness, admitted that it did indeed look like Mumin kicked the Real Madrid forward.

“I don’t like to lie and I think it was Mumin who kicked him,” said the Vallecano coach after the match as quoted by MARCA.

He made it clear that he always tries to be honest and said that, while the referee could have blown the whistle for a penalty, he could also have chosen not to.

“I always try to be honest and when I saw it, I said that he can whistle it but also not.” 

He acknowledged that these types of situations are tricky and that referees, especially with the aid of VAR, need to be cautious when making such decisions.

“These are delicate plays that with the VAR you have to be extremely careful,” he noted.

Outrage from Real Madrid

While the Rayo Vallecano manager took a balanced approach in his comments, the reaction from Real Madrid was far more direct and critical.

During the usual post-match analysis on Real Madrid TV, the referee’s performance was heavily scrutinized.

Commentators on the channel did not hold back, openly blaming the referee for Real Madrid’s disappointing result, which saw them drop two crucial points.

They argued that the referee’s decisions had a direct impact on the outcome of the game, leaving the team frustrated and disappointed.

From the outset of the analysis, the refereeing of Martinez Munuera was described as “lousy and negligent.” The main issue was his failure to award two clear penalties to Real Madrid, with one of them involving a foul on Vinicius Jr.

The frustration from both sides is understandable, as the decisions made by the referee played a key role in how the match unfolded.