Jude Bellingham was denied the chance to be Real Madrid’s hero after his last-gasp goal was disallowed.
The England midfielder made a surprise return to action after injury and was named in the starting lineup for the clash with Valencia.
Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle for his protestsCredit: Getty
Bellingham, who has been in stunning form this term, thought that he’d won the match for Los Blancos when he headed home in the ninth minute of injury time to make it 3-2.
However, referee Gil Manzano opted to rule the midfielder’s goal out having already blown his final whistle.
Real Madrid’s stars were furious at the decision to rule out Bellingham’s header, with the 20-year-old making his feelings very clear after the whistle.
Unfortunately for him, his protests were not well received and he was given a red card for dissent, along with Antonio Rudiger who was also sent off.
It also meant he was denied the chance to take his tally to 21 goals for the season so far.
Teammates were in shock, too, as moments after the final whistle, a tweet from Aurelien Tchouameni read: “That’s embarrassing,” while Vinicius Jr posted a laughing emoji.
Speaking after the game, manager Carlo Ancelotti said: “What can I say… there’s not much to say.
“Something unprecedented has happened.
Bellingham made his feelings very clear to the referee, along with his Real Madrid teammatesCredit: Getty
He even followed the referee off the pitch as he made his caseCredit: Getty
“After the rebound we had possession and I think it had to end when Valencia had possession.
“Then Bellingham’s red card bothered us because he didn’t insult us.”
Valencia took a shock 2-0 lead in the first half, before Vinicius Junior clawed one back just before the break.
The Brazil international then scored again after 76 minutes to give Real Madrid the ascendancy as they went in search of a winner to boost their title hopes.
But with Bellingham’s effort ruled out, it means that Ancelotti’s side missed the chance to go nine points clear at the top of the table.
With Girona challenging for the La Liga crown, Real Madrid will be praying that the disallowed goal doesn’t come back to haunt them.
