Mourinho did not want to talk about football. He wanted to talk about the referee.
“We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” the Real Madrid manager said, holding up images of the tackles he believed had turned the derby.
One was a stamp by Cristian Romero on Jude Bellingham’s knee in the 35th minute. The other was a challenge by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde nine minutes later.
Neither was punished with red. Both players stayed on the pitch. Tempers flared as the sides walked off at half-time, and stewards had to separate players in the tunnel.
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Huijsen sent off after a VAR review
Real Madrid then lost a man of their own.
Dean Huijsen dragged back Giuliano Simeone in the 53rd minute as the Atletico winger ran through on goal. Referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias initially reached for a yellow. After a pitch-side review, he upgraded it to a straight red for a last-man professional foul.
Alejandro Grimaldo tucked the penalty away. Six minutes later, Jonathan David slid in a second.
Antonio Rüdiger pulled one back in the 89th minute, but Diego Simeone’s side held on for the win. It was Real Madrid’s second defeat of the campaign.
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Mourinho points to Romero and Lee Kang-in
“Those were two clear red cards. The difficulties we’ve faced since the sending-off, 11 against 10, well, we can imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like if justice had been done,” Mourinho said.
He was also unhappy with the appointment itself.
“They’ve put a referee, aged 41, with no international experience. It’s certainly not because he’s a great referee. Then the poor chap has come here and hasn’t been able to cope with the pressure, and it really is intense pressure.”
“I don’t want to go so far as to say this was set up. I want to believe that they simply made a mistake,” he added.
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Simeone rejects the refereeing narrative
Diego Simeone was asked about the referee complaints.
“The match was clear. There was a team that dominated, a team that knew how to capitalize on key moments, and another team that failed to create the scoring chances it usually creates,” Simeone said.
He had a warning about criticising officials.
“A line should never be crossed, regardless of who you are, Mourinho, Flick, Pellegrini, myself, or anyone else. We must be careful with what we say.”
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The defeat leaves Real Madrid on 15 points, six behind Barcelona at the top. Atletico moved above their city rivals into second on 16.
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