VAR review turns Huijsen’s penalty into an early red card

The second VAR intervention of the Madrid derby between Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid came almost immediately after the restart: Dean Huijsen fouled Giuliano Simeone for a penalty. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias initially awarded the spot-kick but only booked the Real Madrid defender.

Penalty, VAR warning, switch

That’s when the VAR alert from the VOR room pushed the review further. According to the account in Mundo Deportivo, the request was to consider a potential straight red for DOGSO, arguing that Huijsen held the opponent with no chance of a genuine challenge for the ball in an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

During the check, the referee asked for a wider view to judge where the goalkeeper was. The officials then showed him the relevant angle from the offside camera, and Ortiz Arias concluded that the keeper could not get there and, crucially, there was no ball dispute. The result: he changed the yellow to a red and kept the penalty. Mundo Deportivo adds that once the review was completed, Huijsen was sent off and Real Madrid had to play the rest of the second half with ten men.

What the CTA will review

Mundo Deportivo also notes that there was plenty of commotion from the stands and that Florentino made his frustration known in the box as the VAR decision landed.

Looking ahead, the outlet says the CTA’s technical commission will study the incidents and the ones selected by the league’s AI for the Tuesday Review Time, aiming to fine-tune the criteria for situations like this.