Referee rejects Real Madrid penalty appeal after Endrick goes down

A penalty appeal followed an incident in the area during Wednesday evening’s match between Roma and Real Madrid. In the 64th minute, Endrick went down after contact with goalkeeper Gollini, and Real Madrid’s players called for a penalty. Referee François Letexier turned down the appeal. The incident came on the second matchday of the Champions League league phase.

Refereeing expert Iturralde González considered Letexier’s decision correct. His assessment went further than simply endorsing the refusal: he challenged the way Endrick went to ground and said the forward even deserved a booking. “Endrick simulated his fall; he even deserves a yellow card,” he said.

The expert also pointed to the player’s positioning in discussing why the incident was difficult to judge. “His body was forward. It’s a difficult decision; there is offside,” he added. He linked his assessment of Endrick’s position to his view of the disputed incident.

Iturralde González’s analysis thus addressed two separate aspects of the play: the contact with Gollini that led Real Madrid’s players to appeal for a penalty, and the forward’s position and fall. In the expert’s view, those factors supported Letexier’s decision not to award Real Madrid a penalty.