Villarreal's Juan Foyth Backs Referee After Real Madrid Defeat

Villarreal player Juan Foyth spoke in the mixed zone after his team's defeat at the hands of Real Madrid. The Argentine regrets that, despite competing toe-to-toe with the merengues, they wasted their few chances and couldn't leave the Bernabéu with at least one point. He also spoke about the referee's performance, Vinicius Jr.'s sending-off, and the tension throughout the 90 minutes.

"Yes, we were looking at the statistics. In the end, beating Real Madrid on their field, in almost every statistic, is not easy. We came to look for the three points, and, well, it is a shame because I think we had chances to get them, but we didn't. Real Madrid is a team that generates danger. Obviously, we tried to stay focused throughout the match, and, well, I think it showed.

I think there has been too much protesting over every referee decision. In the end, I think he has done a good job. Obviously, if you protest every little action throughout the match, whether it's a yellow card or a red card, the referee is human and can make mistakes. But, well, I think that, at least, the decision about Vinicius, by the rulebook, was a red card.

I don't think he did it to hurt anyone, but, well, it is red. It is a very difficult job that the referee has on a field like this, where there is so much pressure. I am not going to talk about Mourinho. I know him; I shared the Tottenham spell with him. In the end, his way of being has always been to pressure from the outside. He did the same with us at Tottenham and, well, in the end, he got the result. I have nothing bad to say about it."

Real Madrid left the Bernabeu victorious, but with a major absence like that of the Brazilian. After receiving a straight red card, he must serve a two-match suspension, so the club and the coach have effectively ruled out his participation in El Clásico. On the positive side, Yan Diomande, who started instead of Vini, delivered a great performance and scored the match's only goal.

For his part, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde showed the dangerous attacking side Madridismo loves so much. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about Kylian Mbappe, who is still not as precise at the start of the season. He had at least four one-on-one chances against goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, but he couldn't put a single ball in the back of the net. He has 7 goals in eight matches, but when he is needed most, he's been erratic; he must be a factor on Oct. 25, no matter what.