Jude Bellingham receives red card for arguing with referee in controversial Valencia moment, details of rant revealed
Real Madrid Jude Bellingham received a red card for a foul-mouthed rant aimed at the referee.
Vinicius Junior came to Real Madrid's rescue with two goals in a 2-2 draw with Valencia, at the Mestalla on Sunday. The hosts scored two goals in a three-minute span in the first half. For the first goal, Hugo Duro readjusted himself to head in Fran Perez's scuffed shot, before Roman Yarermchuk cut out Dani Carvajal's loose back pass to slot into an empty net.
Vinicius pulled one back right on the stroke of half-time, and then made it 2-2 in the 76th-minute with a close-range header. The match was a thriller and was action-packed right till the final whistle, and that is when the main highlight happened.
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Right at the death, Jude Bellingham thought he had scored the winner, when he nodded in from the edge of the six-yard box. But the referee thought otherwise, and his whistle for full-time went before the cross went into the box, so the goal didn't count. Madrid players crowded around the referee in protest, but the decision couldn't be overturned. Amid the chaos, Bellingham received a red card for his complaints with the referee.
According to transfer expert and football journalist Fabrizio Romano, Bellingham was given the red card for saying, "It’s a f*cking goal, the ball is in the air. What the f*ck is that."
Other than Bellingham's red card, emotions were high in the match throughout 90 minutes. It was Vinicius' first return to the Mestalla, where he was racially abused last season. During the match on Sunday, a large number of fans did chant 'Vinicius is stupid' and booed him throughout the match.
In response after his first goal, Vinicius held up his fist towards the Valencia fans behind the goal. Then after his equaliser, he cupped his ears as if asking for more from the fans who jeered him.
Madrid lead the La Liga standings with a seven-point advantage over Girona and a nine-point lead over Barcelona.