Jude Bellingham's use of an English expletive to curse at the referee left Real Madrid a man down and unable to defend a lead as the La Liga leaders drew at Osasuna 1-1 on Saturday.
Kylian Mbappé put Madrid ahead in the 15th minute with his 11th goal in as many league games. But Madrid was outnumbered after Bellingham's red card for using an expletive while protesting the refereeing five minutes before halftime.
Osasuna pulled level after the referee awarded a penalty after a video review and booked Eduardo Camavinga for stomping the foot of Ante Budimir in the box. Budimir slotted the 58th-minute equalizer past Thibaut Courtois to unleash celebrations at El Sadar Stadium.
The draw in Pamplona put Madrid’s league lead in jeopardy. While Atletico Madrid failed to take advantage of the slip and stayed one point behind the frontrunners, Barcelona can pull level with its top rival if it beats Rayo Vallecano on Monday.
Next up for Madrid is a home game against Manchester City on Wednesday when it will try to make good on its 3-2 win in their first meeting of the Champions League knockout rounds playoff.
'English translation error'
In what seemed to be a stretch of linguistic analysis, coach Carlo Ancelotti tried to defend his player by claiming that referee José Luis Munuera made a translation error of Bellingham’s use of an English expletive.
“Bellingham didn’t do anything that deserved a sending off,” Ancelotti said. “He said ‘(expletive) off,’ not ’(expletive) you.' I don’t think that was meant to be offensive.”
Munuera wrote in his refereeing report that Bellingham told him "from just a few meters away, ‘(expletive) you.’”
Bellingham said “I don’t want to go into details of what was said” but insisted he was unfairly treated, saying the referee made a translation error and that there was indeed a degree of difference between the expletive when combined with “off" or “you.”
Real Madrid's Bellingham shown red card after using English expletive to protest referee
“It is clear that he made a mistake and there was a miscommunication," said the England midfielder, who got a two-game ban last season after receiving a red card for using an expletive in English protesting a ref's call.
More fuel for the fire
Ancelotti was also shown a yellow card early after he complained excessively for what he thought was a handball by an Osasuna player in the host's area.
Following its loss at Espanyol, the powerhouse sent a scathing letter to Spain’s soccer federation to decry what it considered “adulterated” refereeing that favored other teams. The league president responded by saying that the 36-time champion had “lost its mind.”
The decisions by Munuera aggravated Madrid’s sense of grievance regarding the refereeing in La Liga.
"Things have happened in the last three games that everyone has seen,” Ancelotti said. “The VAR has reviewed plays in our area and not in the opponent’s area. … We just have to keep fighting. We played a good game today and we will try to do so again on Wednesday and in the next La Liga game.”
Mbappé remains hot
Mbappé had an up and down first few months while adapting to Madrid, but he has been scoring at ease in recent weeks and has 17 league goals, second only to the 19 by Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski.
Mbappé had an opportunity to bag an injury-time winner but Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera blocked his shot from an angle.
Osasuna, which beat Barcelona 4-2 in September when the Catalan club was leading the league, moved into seventh place.
Budimir’s goal let the Croatia striker equal an Osasuna club record of 57 career goals in La Liga, a mark set by Sabino Andonegui.
“It is always very special to enter the history of a club that is over 100 years old. I am very proud,” Budimir said.
Atletico ‘gladiators’ fail to retake lead
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz injured in training in Dubai
Atletico Madrid remained a point behind Madrid after it was also reduced to 10 men and needed a late goal from substitute Alexander Sorloth to draw at home with Celta Vigo 1-1.
Pablo Barrios hurt Atletico’s chances when he saw a direct red card for a studs-first slide into the lower leg of Pablo Durán just seven minutes into the match.
Borja Iglesias earned a penalty when fouled by Robin Le Normand in the area, sending substitute Iago Aspas to the spot to put Celta ahead in the 68th.
Sorloth salvaged a point for the hosts when the Norway striker won a long ball and rifled it home in the 81st.
“After the sending off (of Barrios), my players were gladiators,” coach Diego Simeone said, “because playing 90 minutes with a man down, do you know how hard that is?”
Also, Alaves drew at Leganes 3-3, while a struggling Valencia took a 1-1 draw at fifth-placed Villarreal in a regional derby.