Khaberni - Hector Bellerin's goal for Real Betis against Real Madrid last Friday in the Spanish league sparked a major controversy due to suspicions of a foul favoring Los Merengues.
The play leading to the goal involved a clash between Betis' Brazilian player Antony and Real Madrid's French full-back Ferland Mendy, resulting in the latter losing his balance.
The 1-1 draw between Real Betis and visiting Real Madrid largely decided the Spanish league title in favor of Barcelona, giving them a chance to extend their lead over Los Merengues to 11 points with five rounds left to play.
This play sparked considerable controversy as Real Madrid's coach Alvaro Arbeloa, criticized the referee Soto Grado, asserting that he doesn’t understand much about football due to his decision not to award a foul on that play.
In response, Betis player Diego Llorente commented on these allegations in an interview with the Spanish show "El Larguero" after the match: "I am surprised, but to a certain extent. Every team fights for its goals and demands what it believes is right. For us, there was also a handball by Brahim Diaz. Everyone has the right to protest."
He added: "It seems they are a disjointed team, but they have players capable of launching very fast counter-attacks. After the first 20 minutes, we were at the peak of our concentration. We created one chance after another. Lunin saved many shots. It was fair for us to score a goal."
Regarding his goal, Hector Bellerin stated: "Well, we protested the handball by Brahim. That's football. Sometimes the decision is fair, and sometimes it's not. With all the chances we had, when I saw the referee wavering in the last seconds, I thought: 'They can't cancel this goal now.' If they were going to call that foul, they would also account for the handball. Justice was served in this respect. I understand the referees; it's hard to make the right decision in every situation."
Real Madrid’s channel launched a sharp attack on the referee, considering what happened a repeat of Los Merengues' issues with refereeing this season: "A penalty not awarded again."
Real Madrid Television commented on the presence of a handball by Betis player Ricardo Rodriguez in a play shot by Brahim Diaz.
