Zinedine Zidane appeared extremely angry after his team, Real Madrid, missed the chance to seize the top spot in La Liga following a dramatic match against Sevilla on Sunday, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Atlético Madrid maintained the lead with 77 points with three rounds remaining, two points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid and third-placed Barcelona. Sevilla remained in fourth with 71 points.
Brazilian Fernando put the visiting team ahead in the middle of the first half after Karim Benzema's goal for Real Madrid was disallowed for offside. Real Madrid improved in the second half and deservedly equalized with a goal from Marco Asensio in the 67th minute, but the situation swung dramatically in favor of Sevilla.
In a counterattack, Benzema broke away from halfway and was awarded a penalty after being fouled by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. However, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) asked the referee to review an incident in the other penalty area due to a handball by Real Madrid's defender Éder Militão after a corner kick. The referee awarded a penalty to Sevilla, which Ivan Rakitić, the former Barcelona midfielder, successfully converted into Thibaut Courtois's net, regaining the lead for the visitors with 13 minutes remaining.
Diego Carlos accidentally scored an own goal for Sevilla in the closing seconds, resulting in a thrilling draw. Real Madrid kept their title hopes alive when Toni Kroos fired a shot from outside the penalty area that deflected off Carlos into Bounou's goal.
After the final whistle, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane entered the pitch to speak with referee Juan Martínez Munuera and expressed his dissatisfaction with the penalty decision for the handball against Militão while trying to clear a cross. Zidane told reporters, "I am very angry. Someone needs to explain the handball rule to us. It is very hard to accept because we played very well, but that's how it went."
The former Real Madrid player added, "I don't like to talk about refereeing, but today the feelings were not good." In statements to the Movistar network, reported by AS newspaper, Zidane said, "I talked with the referee, and he gave me an explanation, that's all. He told me it was a handball by Militão, and the other one was not a handball for us. It is very complicated because we played a great game and deserved much more. I don't like to discuss referees, but the feeling today is not good."
When asked if the referee's explanations helped him understand his decisions, he replied, "No... and in the end, if there is any handball in the penalty area, do you call it or not on both sides? That's it. The other handball for us was not looked at, and we have talked a lot about these things, and nothing will change. Today we feel aggrieved." He added regarding his conversation with the match referee, "I don't understand it. If there is a handball, then there is a hand from Militão and one from Sevilla. I was not convinced by what he said to me. He is the one who whistles the situations, and I have never talked about it before, but today I am angry, of course, because they have to explain the rules of handball to me, there are also hands in Sevilla's penalty area," according to AS.
The equalizer that came in the third minute of stoppage time was the final turning point in a thrilling round that saw Atlético maintain the top spot after drawing 0-0 at Barcelona's stadium on Saturday. The draw at Camp Nou gave Real Madrid a chance to seize the lead and put their title fate in their own hands, even though they entered the match with low morale after being eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals by Chelsea the previous Wednesday.
Zidane made changes to the Real Madrid lineup, leaving Eden Hazard on the bench after the Belgian winger's lackluster performance in the 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, and captain Sergio Ramos was absent due to injury. Real Madrid had a modest performance in the first half, yet they could have taken the lead when Benzema converted a brilliant pass from Álvaro Odriozola into the net. The referee decided to disallow the goal due to Odriozola being offside by a narrow margin. VAR's decision drew the spotlight in the enjoyable match amid the fierce competition at the top.
Real's Luka Modrić said, "We dropped two points today. We did everything to win the match. But the ball just wouldn’t go in, and then we got a penalty that was canceled, and a penalty for the opponent was awarded, but we still have a chance."
