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Almeria claim the referee and VAR RUINED their 'great game' against Real Madrid

  /  autty

Almeria were left furious after three controversial VAR decisions went against them during their match with Real Madrid.

LaLiga's bottom club led 2-0 at half-time and looked set for their first win of the league season until Madrid found their groove in the second half and won 3-2.

The match was marred by multiple vexatious decisions which left Almeria claiming on their website that the referee and VAR had 'ruined' their day.

Almeria defender Marc Pubill told DAZN: 'I think that someone decided that we weren’t allowed to win here at Bernabéu today, and that’s what happened. Nothing more to say.'

After Largie Ramazani and Edgar Gonzalez put Almeria ahead in the first half - the second goal being a glorious strike - Jude Bellingham pulled one back from the penalty spot after 57 minutes.

But the penalty was awarded in debateable circumstaces after Madrid striker Joselu headed the ball onto Kaiky Fernandes' arm from inches above him.

Minutes later, Almeria thought they had restored their two-goal cushion when Sergio Arribas prodded home from a blistering counter-attack.

Yet that wasn't the case, as a three-minute VAR check scrubbed off the goal after concluding that Dion Lopy had caught Bellingham in the face in the build-up.

A flailing Lopy arm did catch Bellingham as they tustled for the ball in Almeria's half and Bellingham went down.

Even so, Almeria were still leading 2-1 after 64 minutes and must have felt buoyant about their chances, having been so clinical in front of goal.

However, after 67 minutes, Real Madrid were on level terms when Vinicius Jr turned in Aurelien Tchouameni's cross from deep to Bernabeu jubilation.

The referee almost immediately ruled the goal out for handball, but after checking the incident on the monitor, he reversed the decision and awarded the goal.

Almeria were incensed after he had appeared to commit a handball, but the referee must have concluded that it had come off his shoulder rather than upper arm.

Even a 2-2 draw would have been a commendable result for Almeria, who have picked up just six points in 21 games this season, but there was a final, cruel twist of the knife.

Ten minutes into stoppage time, Carvajal pounced on Bellingham's header to the far post and clipped it home, to the exultation of his fans and the dismay of Almeria.