Tension on the pitch and anger in the Mestalla changing room tunnel with intervention by the Police: "There were some words or other"

The emotion of the tribute to Jesús de Miguel, who stopped the game in the ninth minute, gave way to an abrupt context, of fouls, protests, stoppages and many attempts at tanganas between Valencia and Real Madrid in the whites' last game at Mestalla before the change to the new stadium. Piques that went beyond the grass and reached the locker room tunnel. At half-time, security members had to intervene in a discussion involving, among others, Bellingham, Rüdiger and Maffeo, with Braulio, Valencia's sporting director, also present. "There were some other words, but they are things that stay on the field," admitted Guido Rodríguez after the match. The tension was constant.

Maffeo, who on other occasions had dealt with Vinicius, on this occasion had Diomande and Cucurella in front of him, with the Madrid bench protesting the four fouls in 25 minutes that the former Mallorca player had. Several on the Spanish left-hander and another a push on Mbappé in the front of the area for which Madrid requested his expulsion and which was the action prior to the opening goal of the duel. Valverde collected the rebound from the free kick and scored his third goal of the season, his second this week after the great goal in Athens to beat AEK.

The duel, very heated after the goal, continued to heat up. Lunin and a member of the Valencia coaching staff saw yellow after a fight after a foul by Sadiq and Maffeo complained about the referee in the half-time interview, already at 0-2 after Güler's goal. «I don't feel like doing this interview at all, this interview is shit, it doesn't matter. They call us for fouls that are not, anyway. "I ask that the referee be fairer and that's it, it's not a foul in the first goal and that conditions us," the full-back said to the DAZN microphones, to which he went after the final whistle to apologize. "How angry Madrid Maffeo is..." wrote Marcelo, formerly of Madrid, on social networks.

"It's not a mistake, it's not a mistake! What a fabric!"

The clashes, collisions and mistimed fouls increased the tension in the locker room tunnel at halftime, where there was a brawl between several players from both teams, including Bellingham, Rüdiger and Maffeo.

In the match report, Hernández Maeso assures that Braulio, Valencia's sports director, "comes face to face with my assistant referee No. 1." "To whom he addressed repeatedly and in an exalted tone in the following terms: "It's not a fault, it's not a fault! What a fabric!" Likewise, when I passed by him, he also addressed me repeatedly, saying the same words and maintaining an exalted attitude," says the referee, adding that the action of the Police was necessary to "grasp him and remove him from the scene to put an end to the incident."

Back on the grass, the same atmosphere. Yellow to Aguirre, hard foul from Maffeo to Cucurella and forced change of the right back, who was facing a possible expulsion, more fouls and the expulsion for a direct red card from Gayá for a strong tackle on Mbappé being the last man. The locals protested, but Hernández Maeso and the VAR were clear. All while the players of both teams faced each other again, with yellow cards for Diomande and Rioja.

Mbappé's 0-3 score completely sealed the match on a sporting level while Valencia accumulated fouls: 26 in total, their record for the season, compared to the seven they committed in the 0-5 draw against Barça or the nine they committed in the defeat against Real Sociedad. «Mestalla is passion. A difficult and demanding stadium. And we have been calm when it comes to not responding. They have played against a much superior Madrid and that increases frustration and pushes them to have a style of play to try to discuss the result," Mourinho said in the press room.