Mourinho displays 'red card' incidents post-derby loss

Jose Mourinho arrived at his post-match news conference carrying an A4 sheet of printed paper with screenshots displaying two incidents he believed should have resulted in Atletico Madrid dismissals. Mourinho accused the officials of making key errors after Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid, claiming the hosts should have received two red cards in the first half. It marked Real Madrid's second defeat of the season, having lost 1-0 to Real Betis earlier in September.

"We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here," Mourinho remarked as he showed the media the printed images. "Those were two clear red cards. Given the difficulties we faced afterwards playing 11 against 10, we can only imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like. So I’ll just have to limit myself to hugging my players, who gave it their all and played a first half that showed great class and character."

In contrast, Diego Simeone was ecstatic with the result. When asked to respond to Mourinho's comments on refereeing, he maintained his respect for differences of opinion. "We need to be careful about what we say," Simeone noted while emphasizing respect for referees and colleagues. He asserted, "When someone crosses that line of respect, it’s not right."

Mourinho argued the two first-half decisions significantly impacted the match, insisting his team had demonstrated character despite the circumstances. The first incident occurred in the 37th minute involving Real's Jude Bellingham and Atleti's Cristian Romero, where Bellingham was initially shown a yellow card. Mourinho contended Romero should have been sent off for a dangerous foul, as replays showed a studs-up challenge on Bellingham’s knee. After a VAR review, Bellingham's yellow was rescinded, and Romero received a yellow card instead. The second incident involved a challenge by Atletico's Lee Kang-in on Fede Valverde, which Mourinho thought warranted a straight red card.

Despite his criticism of officiating, Mourinho conveyed no complaints regarding his players' commitment, praising their performance, especially in the first half. "I liked my team as a unit. Even in the first half, I really liked them," he stated. He acknowledged the challenge his team faced in the second half against Atleti's possession and admitted he had not seen the VAR replay regarding Dean Huijsen's dismissal that led to Atletico being awarded a penalty.

Real Madrid's defeat left them fourth in the league standings, while Atletico stood second, five points behind league leaders Barcelona. Moving forward, Mourinho stressed there remains substantial time in the season, suggesting, "Under normal circumstances, it’s not about how it starts, it’s about how it ends."

Simeone rebuffed suggestions the officiating would overshadow the result, arguing his team maintained control throughout the match. He praised his players’ defensive organization and teamwork against a dangerous Real Madrid side, stating, "We controlled almost all the transitions they could have had." La Liga is set to resume on Friday, October 9, after the international break.