Former referee claims Real Madrid superstar deserved yellow card for diving against Racing

Former referee claims Real Madrid superstar deserved yellow card for diving against RacingReal Madrid secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Racing Santander on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande all scoring.Los Blancos made it six straight wins and continued their great form under Jose Mourinho, but the evening was overshadowed by a refereeing decision.According to Carrusel Deportivo, former Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez strongly criticised the decision to award Madrid a penalty.Iturralde believes Mbappe should have been bookedThe incident unfolded early in the match when Racing midfielder Matteo Prati made slight contact with Mbappe’s chest inside the penalty area.Referee Jose Luis Munuera pointed to the spot, and Mbappe, as always, made absolutely no mistake.Mbappe won and scored a penalty against Racing. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)However, Iturralde was less than pleased with the decision.“The referee sees that someone puts a hand on Mbappe’s chest and thinks that is enough,” the former official explained.“It should have been a direct free kick for Racing and a yellow card for Mbappe for diving,” he added.Iturralde also questioned the consistency of VAR intervention, arguing that the incident deserved another look given similar decisions in other La Liga matches.One penalty doesn’t take away from Real Madrid’s dominanceThe disputed opening goal, however, takes absolutely nothing away from Real Madrid’s performance last night.Even without the controversial penalty call, Los Blancos would have comfortably taken the three points at El Sardinero last night.Jose Mourinho’s team were playing champagne football, especially in the first half, and could have scored even more had they not taken their foot off the accelerator.Mbappe was given a penalty under controversial circumstances. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)The decision to award Mbappe a penalty may have looked soft, but ultimately, it is the referee who makes the decision.Had he believed that the Frenchman had simulated inside the area, he would have given him a yellow card.Even if the referee got the call wrong, the VAR team were in the background reviewing it with a fine-tooth comb and saw no reason to overturn his on-field call last night.Ultimately, Real Madrid got the three points, and that is what matters. Now, the team will shift their focus to AEK Athens and then Valencia next weekend.