Real Sociedad boss David Moyes was furious with referee Carlos Caballo Velasco after seeing his side exit the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.
La Real drew 2-2 at home with Villarreal to go out at the Last 16 stage 3-2 on aggregate, but the Scot was less than impressed with the official and was sent to the stands on 81 minutes for allegedly suggesting he needed glasses, following a contentious offside decision.
Carlos Vela’s opener for the hosts had been cancelled out by a Gerard Moreno shot and Giovani Dos Santos then put the Yellow Submarine 2-1 up on the night.
Esteban Granero grabbed an equaliser for the Basques 15 minutes from time, but the damage had already been done and Villarreal went through to set up a quarter-final tie with Getafe, despite having Mateo Musacchio sent off late on.
“Spanish referees brandish the most cards in the whole of Europe,” groaned the former Everton and Manchester United told reporters post-match.
“I’m disappointed we’ve gone out of the competition but Villarreal are a very good team who played well and I think they are superior to us at the moment, so now we have to work to get to their level.
“We wanted to reach the quarter-finals but lost this tie in the first leg. I thought we deserved to win today and my players played a good game, while their behaviour was first class.”
Curiously enough, Moyes’ dismissal prompted him to leap over the barriers and climb a few rows to take a seat with some Real Sociedad fans.
Upon being offered a crisp by one of the supporters, Moyes smiled and did not hesitate to tuck in.
