Real Madrid were left with a point from their second Champions League match against Manchester City, but the draw carried the sting of a possible late winner ruled out before it could be reviewed.
Silvia Cristóbal struck from inside the area in the 88th minute after a rebound dropped to her, driving the ball into the top corner. The referee, however, had already stopped play moments earlier after Cristóbal collided with City’s Mead.
The whistle came because the contact prevented the home player from reaching and intercepting the preceding pass. Madrid’s bench believed the move should have been allowed to finish, with VAR then given the chance to assess the incident.
Quick facts
- Real Madrid collected one point against Manchester City on Champions League matchday two.
- Silvia Cristóbal’s 88th-minute finish was disallowed after an earlier whistle.
- The decision followed a collision between Cristóbal and Manchester City’s Mead.
- Coach Pau Quesada said the officials should have let the phase of play continue before any VAR review.
Quesada, Athenea del Castillo and Cristóbal were visibly angered as the goal was wiped away. In the immediate aftermath, the coach said he had never seen anything like it and questioned whether such an intervention belonged in a Champions League game.
Speaking after the match, Quesada argued that the referee should have delayed the decision. “I struggle to understand why she blew before the move had ended,” he said. “She could have waited, allowed VAR to come in and checked it.”
The Madrid coach said he had seen the contact occur only when the ball broke loose. He placed the incident in the context of frustrations built up over previous refereeing decisions, referring to a clear foul during last season’s strong group-stage campaign and what he described as extraordinary officiating against Real Sociedad.
Quesada also reflected on his route to this stage, having worked at Elche, Levante, Valencia, Madrid’s academy and in Serie A before reaching the Champions League. He said the anger came from a shared need to raise professional standards and prevent such moments from deciding major European nights.
While critical of the call, he stressed that the referee was “a very good person” and suggested the officials themselves realised play should have continued. Quesada added that they appeared surprised by his reaction, joking that he expected to be sent off for it.
