A fiery statement from Real Madrid after the derby events

Real Madrid launched a scathing attack on referee Ortiz Arias following their 2-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby, asserting that influential refereeing decisions played a role in determining the outcome of the match . In a statement on their official website, Real Madrid described the derby as having been "extremely poorly officiated," pointing out that Ortiz Arias failed to issue a red card on two occasions during the first half, despite two tackles the club deemed dangerous . The club explained that in the 35th minute, Coti Romero tackled Jude Bellingham after the Real Madrid player reached the ball before the Atlético defender, who then impaled Bellingham's knee with his studs. Real Madrid noted that the referee initially awarded a foul against Bellingham before reversing his decision after a VAR review, opting instead to show Romero a yellow card . The statement added that the second incident occurred just nine minutes later when Kang-In Lee tackled Federico Valverde, impaling him on his left ankle with his studs. Real Madrid stated that the referee was close to the incident but did not issue a red card or even a yellow card, and that VAR official Trujillo Suárez did not intervene to review the incident . In the 50th minute, Ortiz Arias awarded Atlético Madrid a penalty after Hoijsen's challenge on Giuliano, and showed the Real Madrid defender a yellow card . According to the club's statement, VAR intervened this time, prompting Ortiz Arias to review the footage and decide to send off Hoijsen instead of just issuing a yellow card . Atlético Madrid converted the penalty to take the lead, before adding a second goal in the 59th minute . Real Madrid tried to get back into the game, and Diomande almost reduced the deficit in the 76th minute, but Oblak made a crucial save. Antonio Rüdiger then scored Real Madrid's goal in the 89th minute with a header from a Bernardo Silva free kick . Real Madrid indicated that their players tried to equalize in the final minutes, but the match ended with Atlético Madrid winning 2-1.