Xavi asked in the preview for the Barcelona-Real Madrid match that there be as little talk as possible about the possible action of the referee, but the first half of the classic match made it clear that the Blaugrana coach’s wish could not be fulfilled.
In the penultimate action of the first half, Ilkay Gundogan executed a corner kick to the right of Kepa’s goal. Ronald Araujo, always dangerous from set-pieces, wanted to beat the German’s cross over the top, but Tshuamini’s illegal defending prevented the Uruguayan from contesting the ball.
When Araujo tried to get up from the ground, the Frenchman hung around the neck of the Barcelona centre-back and threw him to the ground with his left arm. The match referee, Gil Manzano, did not indicate anything regarding the movement during play, but VAR, after reviewing the movement, did not consider the fist sufficient to call the cue to the screen to see the movement again.
