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Madrid strategist Jose Mourinho did not hide his displeasure with the referee, who, in his opinion, should have shown a red card to Barcelona's defender Dani Alves in Saturday's match. The capital team is now behind the Catalans by eight points with six games left until the end of the championship.
Mourinho insisted that Alves, who already had a yellow card, deserved to be sent off the field after his foul on Marcelo in the 82nd minute, which resulted in a penalty kick. "I don't understand why Alves, who committed a foul in the penalty area, did not receive a second yellow card," said the Portuguese. "I asked the fourth official and he replied, 'because he is a full-back.'
He continued: "When everyone thought we would be destroyed because we played with almost ten men for almost a half, we proved that we are strong enough to fight for a result. If the referee, as he should have, had sent off Alves and we would have played with 10 against 10 for the remaining ten minutes, everything could have turned out differently."
Mourinho also said: "Playing 11 against 10 is practically impossible. At least for many teams, as the opponent can control the ball very well for a long time. But we played well, showed dignity and character, and together with the fans, we almost fought for victory."
The episode when Alves fouled Marcelo:
