Ousmane Dembele’s super strike was the only goal of the game as Barcelona defeated Real Sociedad to book a place in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Dembele’s goal separated the sides at the Camp Nou, but the key moment of the match came when La Real midfielder Brais Mendez was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Barca skipper Sergio Busquets just before half time.
Many believed that the decision was the correct one, but one former La Liga player believes that the incident highlighted in the technology. Former Athletic Club defender Mikel San Jose stated that if Mendez’s challenge was a red card, then Dembele should have been sent off against Getafe on Sunday.
El VAR selectivo. Que pasada. Y es una roja como un piano. Pero es una pasada. Brais si pero Dembele no.
— Mikel San José (@mikelsanjo6) January 25, 2023
Dembele was cautioned by referee Javier Iglesias Villanueva for a late challenge on defender Omar Alderete in the second half of Barca’s win at the weekend. VAR opted not to refer the incident, and San Jose was keen to highlight the similarities between the two challenges.
Hasta el propio Dembelé esperaba roja tras su entrada al jugador del Getafe. No me cabe duda de que si hubiese vestido de verdiblanco habría tomado el camino de los vestuarios.Menuda mafia al silbato pic.twitter.com/uy7AIge9Lk
— MNJ (@mnj_almabetica) January 23, 2023
It is somewhat surprising to see a former Athletic star sticking up for La Real, with the two teams being rivals. However, it highlights how strongly San Jose feels about the incidents.
Image via AP
“it highlights how strongly San Jose feels about the incidents” or how strongly San Jose feels the need to be seen in print. You know what I am talking about, don’t you John? The “other” attention deficit disorder.
In other news, not everybody agreed with a refereeing decision!