Real Madrid edge Getafe as Bordalás slams officiating and Vinícius takes center stage

Referee spotlight as Madrid edge Getafe

Real Madrid edged Getafe 1-0 at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez in La Liga's ninth round, with Mbappé scoring the decisive goal in the 80th minute.

Getafe's coach Jose Bordalás criticized the officiating, revealing a heated moment with Vinícius Júnior after Allan Nyom's red card, a decision many felt changed the course of the game.

Madrid's win lifts them to 24 points at the top of La Liga, reclaiming first place from Barcelona, who briefly led after defeating Girona on Saturday.

According to AS, Bordalás spoke first to Movistar+ before the post-match press conference, recounting what happened when Vinícius approached him after Nyom's sending-off.

Bordalás’s take: Vinícius, yellow cards and a controversial red

Bordalás said the clash started with Vinícius Júnior who, he claimed, provoked a reaction while Jude Bellingham also approached the Madrid bench. He said Vinícius should not ignite provocations and that the team deserved more patience and calm as they battled with a numerical disadvantage.

Regarding the red card for Nyom, Bordalás argued it was overly harsh; he described Vinícius as touching his face as if he were assaulted and said the incident likely warranted only a yellow rather than a red. He added that the referee's decision was not reviewed by VAR and pointed to an earlier moment when Kiko's yellow for a non-existent foul had already sparked controversy.

The Getafe coach also noted a tense moment with Real Madrid's coach Xabi Alonso: he was speaking to the fourth official when a Madrid assistant reportedly reacted; Bordalás said he explained the situation to Alonso, who understood.

In the post-match press conference, Bordalás reiterated his view that Vinícius's reaction did not justify a red card and that Nyom's dismissal altered the match. He acknowledged Getafe's chances despite the dismissal, noting they nearly leveled through a Kamara effort and that the nine men created a glimmer of reward for their performance against a star-studded Madrid side.

He concluded that football is ultimately about the points and that no one will remember the red card tomorrow; Getafe had to learn from painful moments and move on.

Punchline: In football, timing matters—tonight the joke was a red card that felt more like a parking ticket.

Punchline 2: Getafe played with nine men and kept faith, but the referee still didn’t put them on the scoreboard—that’s what we call a highlight reel with an asterisk.