Spanish refereeing expert Iturralde Gonzalez has shared his opinion on the controversial refereeing decisions during the match between Real Madrid and Real Betis on Friday evening, as part of the Spanish La Liga football competition.
The "La Cartuja" stadium hosted the match between Real Madrid and Real Betis in the fourth round of the 2026/27 La Liga season, where Real Madrid lost 1-0.
Real Madrid was awarded a penalty kick in the 92nd minute, but star player Kylian Mbappé missed it after the Real Betis goalkeeper saved it.
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Real Madrid demanded that Mbappé's penalty be retaken, claiming that the Real Betis goalkeeper moved off the goal line before the shot, and alleging that opposing player Marc Bartra entered the penalty area before the kick was taken. However, the referee did not order a retake after consulting the video assistant referee (VAR) technology.
For his part, Iturralde Gonzalez stated in remarks published by the Spanish newspaper "AS": "The penalty decision was correct; it is a completely clear case."
Regarding the demand to retake the penalty due to Bartra entering the penalty area before Mbappé took the kick, he said: "Yes, the penalty should have been retaken."
He added: "Last year, the focus was on foot positioning, but now the evaluation considers whether any part of the body projects into or extends over the area (meaning it is no longer limited to whether an opposing player touched the penalty area with their foot; the entire body is now taken into account)."