The Atlético player's booking overlooked: derby referee angers Bellingham

A physically intense match

The first half of the derby between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano crackled with tension. Clashes, frictions and heavy tackles dominated the play, and Real Madrid's players spent much of it protesting a string of refereeing decisions.

Two tackles in particular drew Los Blancos' fury. Their players felt Cuti Romero and Kang In Lee had committed fouls deserving a harsher punishment, and the objections rumbled on throughout the first half.

Shortly before the interval, Kang In Lee caught Federico Valverde violently from behind in the middle of the pitch, right by referee Ortiz Arias. He awarded a free-kick to Real Madrid but showed the Atletico man no yellow card.

Television replays told a different story. The Korean's tackle landed directly on Valverde's ankle, which twisted on contact, and the Real Madrid player turned to protest. The referee simply gave the foul.

Questions swirled over the right punishment. The full force of the contact was not clear to Arias in the moment, and only the replay laid bare the details of the challenge.