Jude Bellingham accused the referee of favouring Barcelona during Real Madrid’s 3-2 defeat in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday night.
Barcelona’s Jules Kounde scored the winning goal in extra time at the Estadio de La Cartuja, according to GiveMeSport.
Emotions boiled over near the end, with Antonio Rudiger now facing serious punishment for throwing an ice cube at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.
Refereeing tensions were already high before the match.
De Burgos Bengoetxea had broken down in tears at the officials’ pre-match press conference on Friday.
Real Madrid’s behaviour during the final has now drawn further scrutiny.
As the players headed to the tunnel at half-time, Bellingham was caught on TV confronting De Burgos Bengoetxea.
“Make him understand that everything is going their way, everything 50-50 is going their way,” Bellingham said, while Madrid captain Lucas Vazquez pulled him away.
After the match, De Burgos Bengoetxea’s official report confirmed that Rudiger threw an object that narrowly missed him.
Rudiger was sent off for his actions and had to be restrained by coaching staff.
Lucas Vazquez was also dismissed for aggressively protesting and entering the pitch without permission.
Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle for approaching the officials “in an aggressive attitude,” the report added.
Rudiger now faces a potentially historic ban. Teammates and staff, including Ferland Mendy and Andrii Lunin, held him back multiple times.
Spanish radio host Dani Garrido described Rudiger’s behaviour as “deplorable” and “unforgivable.”
The final was a dramatic contest. Pedri gave Barcelona an early lead. Kylian Mbappe, coming off the bench due to an ankle injury, equalized for Madrid in the 70th minute.
Aurelien Tchouameni put Madrid ahead before Ferran Torres levelled for Barcelona late in the second half, sending the match into extra time.
Barcelona had complaints of their own. They believed two first-half penalties were wrongly denied.
Federico Valverde’s handball and Dani Ceballos’ shirt pull on Pau Cubarsi went unpunished. VAR also ruled out a penalty for Raphinha in the second half.
Ultimately, Kounde’s stunning goal from outside the area sealed the victory for Barcelona.
Hansi Flick’s team are now chasing a treble, sitting four points clear in La Liga and preparing for their Champions League semi-final against Inter next week.
