Jose Mourinho Protests Controversial Decisions with Printed Screenshots After Real Madrid Derby Defeat

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho arrived at his post-match press conference carrying printed screenshots of two incidents he believed should have resulted in red cards for Atletico Madrid players. The Portuguese manager accused the match officials of making key errors following Real's 2-1 defeat, claiming that the hosts should have been reduced to nine men for two first-half incidents.

Defender Dean Huijsen was sent off for Real in the second half following a VAR intervention, with Atleti making the most of their numerical advantage thanks to Alejandro Grimaldo's 53rd-minute penalty and Jonathan David's finish. Antonio Rudiger's header late on was little more than consolation.

Known for fiery press conferences and pointing out perceived injustices, Mourinho went a step further by illustrating his point. "Right now, we could save ourselves the time of being here at this press conference, because the story of the match is right here ... here in this piece of paper," he said as he held up printouts. "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."

Mourinho was referring to a clash in the 37th minute involving Real's Jude Bellingham and Atleti's Cristian Romero. Both players challenged for a loose ball, ending with a yellow card initially shown to Bellingham, though VAR later intervened and a yellow was issued to Romero instead. The second contentious incident involved a challenge by Atletico's Lee Kang-in on Fede Valverde, which Mourinho believed warranted a straight red card.

Referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias faced criticism, with Spain's refereeing technical committee stating that Lee should have been shown a red card, though they upheld the validity of the red card shown to Real defender Dean Huijsen. Mourinho also questioned the appointment of Arias, stating that the referee lacked the experience required for such a high-profile game.

The defeat leaves Real Madrid fourth in La Liga, with Atletico second—five points behind league leaders Barcelona. Despite this, Mourinho stressed that there is still a long way to go in the season, noting that it is ultimately about how it ends.