RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 22: Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid is challenged by Alex Calatrava of RCD Espanyol de Barcelona during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between RCD Espanyol de Barcelona and Real Madrid at RCDE Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Real Madrid’s LaLiga opener against Espanyol produced several refereeing flashpoints involving Vinicius Junior, beginning almost immediately after kickoff and continuing with a social-media exchange after the match.
The first incident came in the opening stages, when Vinicius went to ground during a challenge and was subsequently kicked in the back by Espanyol’s Cala. Vinicius quickly got back to his feet and confronted the defender, prompting players from both teams to gather around and creating a brief scuffle. The incident, a clear red card according to the rules, wasn’t even looked at twice.
Referee Sánchez Martínez awarded Real Madrid a free kick but did not show Cala a card. VAR did not intervene, with the incident ultimately allowed to pass without further punishment. Real Madrid’s players and bench protested the decision, believing Cala’s action warranted a card.
welcome back La Liga pic.twitter.com/BQf42FOrks
— Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) August 22, 2026
The incident resurfaced after the game when DAZN posted footage of it on social media. Vinicius reposted the clip with a sarcastic response: “Yellow card for Vini!”
You're just allowed to kick a player in the back while he's on the ground????
— Managing Madrid (@managingmadrid) August 22, 2026
Vinicius was involved in another controversial moment in the 61st minute. The Brazilian went down while attacking, with Espanyol believing he had simulated contact. No yellow card was shown, which was significant because Vinicius had already been booked.
Espanyol responded publicly through their social-media account, writing: “How many dives does it take to get a second yellow card? It’s for a friend.”
Thibaut Courtois later responded to the discussion by pointing back to the opening incident involving Cala and Vinicius. The Real Madrid goalkeeper felt the Espanyol defender should have been sent off for kicking Vinicius in the back when he no longer had an opportunity to play the ball.
Cala, meanwhile, maintained that there was no intention behind the contact and said he had attempted to stop himself once he realized the ball was no longer available.
“I think it was the first play of the game,” Cala said. “I tried to play the ball, and when I realized it was gone, I tried to stop. I think they noticed, and VAR and the referee interpreted it that way because otherwise, I would have been shown a card. It was a play that, for me, was completely unintentional and without any intention of causing harm.”
The Espanyol player also explained that his approach was based on trying to match the physical demands of defending against Real Madrid’s attackers.
“Everyone plays their own game, and within that intensity, knowing they are good players, you have to be active and strong because otherwise, it’s difficult,” Cala said.
The incidents added another layer of controversy to Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory, with both clubs publicly questioning refereeing decisions involving Vinicius after the final whistle, and of course, the referee deciding not to send Cala off was nearly catastrophic given that Cala himself was the one that scored Espanyol’s equalizer.
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