Sat Feb 01 20:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Ancelotti Slams Refereeing After Real Madrid’s Shock Defeat to Espanyol
**Barcelona, Spain** – Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed his outrage at the officiating following his team’s 1-0 loss to Espanyol on Saturday. The defeat was overshadowed by a controversial challenge on Kylian Mbappé by Espanyol’s Carlos Romero, which resulted in a goal but not a red card.
Ancelotti described the tackle as “inexplicable,” stating that both the referee and VAR failed to adequately punish the dangerous foul. “The most important thing is to protect the player,” he stressed. “It was a very ugly, dangerous tackle, and fortunately nothing happened. The VAR is there for this. We find it inexplicable that he did not show the red card.”
Despite the loss, Ancelotti praised Espanyol’s performance, acknowledging their effective defensive strategy and counter-attacking play. He insisted that the match wasn’t as poor as the result suggested, highlighting Real Madrid’s opportunities and maintaining optimism about their league title chances.
The manager also provided a brief update on Mbappé’s condition, stating that he suffered a muscle injury and would require further assessment. He declined to comment on other matters, including transfer speculation.
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