Real Madrid just got smacked 2-1 by Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium today, and believe me, it was NOT your average derby. Goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David sealed the deal for Atleti, pushing them into second place in La Liga while Real Madrid tumbled down to third. Barcelona is already sitting a full six points clear at the top, just seven games into the 2026/27 season. So yeah, you can bet Real Madrid’s boss, Jose Mourinho, was not a happy camper after Dean Huijsen got sent off early in the second half. But instead of laying into his own squad’s flat performance, he turned all his fire on the officiating team. You have to see what he did next.
The “Extraordinary” Meltdown
Mourinho absolutely erupted in his post-match press conference. He completely dodged blaming his own players for what he called their “indifferent approach” to the game. Instead, he made it crystal clear he believed the referees blew two “clear red cards” that should have gone against Atletico Madrid. This wasn’t some quiet complaint, either. The press conference was described as “incredibly tense and inflammatory,” with Mourinho throwing the referees completely under the bus. He didn’t just suggest the calls were bad, he heavily hinted that there was corruption favoring the home side and working against Real Madrid. It was so wild, even Real Madrid’s official social media account jumped in, posting “a dreadful refereeing performance decides the derby” and linking to their equally suggestive match review. Talk about backing your coach up, huh?
The Photo Evidence Heard ‘Round La Liga
So what exactly made this presser “extraordinary”? Mourinho literally walked in with photographic evidence! He started his rant by holding up a split photograph showing two separate incidents, both of which he argued should have resulted in red cards for Atleti players. “We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” he declared, pointing to the pics. “Those are two clear red cards.” The first, and strongest, claim was a challenge by Lee Kang-In on Federico Valverde, where Kang-In supposedly threw his studs onto Valverde’s shin. That thumping challenge reportedly left Valverde out for three weeks with an ankle injury, according to Guillermo Rai of The Athletic. The other incident was Cristian Romero stomping on Jude Bellingham. Bellingham was actually booked for it initially, which is just comical, before the yellow card was finally, correctly, changed to Romero. Mourinho wasn’t done there, though. He then went ahead and called out the referees by name, making his attacks super personal, going directly after head referee Miguel Angel. What an absolute wild day.
Real Madrid is in third, Barcelona is pulling away, and Mourinho is already making headlines for all the wrong reasons. This early season drama is something else.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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