Managers complain about referees every weekend. Very few of them turn up to the press room holding evidence. Jose Mourinho did exactly that at the Metropolitano on Sunday night, walking in with a single sheet of A4 covered in screenshots of two first-half incidents he believed should have left Atletico Madrid with nine men. Real Madrid had just lost the derby 2-1.
"We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here," he said, holding the paper up. In his telling, the game was decided before the hour mark, by two challenges that went unpunished. "Those were two clear red cards. Given the difficulties we faced afterwards playing 11 against 10, we can only imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like."
The two incidents Mourinho printed out
The first came in the 37th minute, when Jude Bellingham and Cristian Romero both went for a loose ball and Romero's studs caught Bellingham on the knee. Bellingham was shown a yellow card at the time. After a VAR review that card was withdrawn and Romero was booked instead, which is not what Mourinho had been asking the referee for on the touchline. He wanted the Argentine sent off for dangerous play.
The second involved Lee Kang-in catching Fede Valverde, a challenge Mourinho argued was a straight red in isolation. He also questioned the appointment of the officials, though he stopped short of accusing anyone of anything worse than incompetence. "I want to believe they are simply mistakes, just as a coach makes mistakes, just as a player makes mistakes," he said. On the dismissal of Dean Huijsen, which handed Atletico their penalty, he admitted he had not yet seen the replay.
Simeone refuses to take the bait
Diego Simeone was asked to respond and declined to get into it, which given the history between these two dugouts counts as restraint. He said coaches sit in a privileged position and need to watch what they say, naming Mourinho, Hansi Flick and Manuel Pellegrini alongside himself. "We have to know how to respect others, the referees, our colleagues," he said. "And when someone crosses that line of respect, it's not right."
His version of the match had nothing to do with cards. He thought Atletico controlled it start to finish, targeted the right side because that is where they had identified the weakness, and shut down the transitions that Real Madrid live on. "We faced an opponent with incredible transitions and extraordinary players," he said. "We controlled almost all the transitions they could have had."
What the result actually costs Real Madrid
This is Real Madrid's second league defeat already, after losing 1-0 to Real Betis earlier in September. They sit fourth. Atletico are second, five points behind Barcelona, who remain the team setting the pace. Mourinho's line on that was the one he has used for 20 years: it is not about how it starts.
He was not critical of his players, and that part sounded sincere rather than tactical. He praised the first half, accepted the second was a slog once Huijsen went off, and said he liked their pride. Whether the paperwork helps him or simply hands the Spanish press a fortnight of material during the international break is another question entirely. La Liga does not return until Friday 9 October, which is a long time to leave a printout sitting on a table.
Match facts: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Madrid, Metropolitano, Sunday 20 September 2026. Dean Huijsen sent off for Real Madrid, conceding the penalty. Real Madrid fourth, Atletico second on the La Liga table, five points behind leaders Barcelona. La Liga resumes Friday 9 October after the international break.
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