WATCH: Kylian Mbappe reacts to controversy during Espanyol-Real Madrid – Football España

Real Madrid are still reeling from their defeat to Espanyol on Saturday night, which saw the gap at the top of La Liga close to a solitary point. Specifically, the reigning champions are enraged at the decision not to send off Carlos Romero in the second half, especially as it was he that scored the winning goal for Los Pericos.

On the hour mark at the Stage Front Stadium, Romero tried to stop Kylian Mbappe racing away with the ball, and in doing so, he caught the Real Madrid attacker very high. He was shown a yellow card by on-field referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz, and the decision was backed by VAR official Javier Iglesias Villanueva, much to the chagrin of Los Blancos.

¡ATENCIÓN!

Ojo al gesto de Mbappé cuando le preguntan si la entrada que le hicieron era roja #LALIGAenDAZN pic.twitter.com/Y1JYkIRnV7

— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) February 1, 2025

After the match, Carlo Ancelotti called the decision “inexplicable”, and now Mbappe himself has reacted to the matter, albeit without any words. DAZN picked up the French attacker as he walked through the interview zone after the match in Barcelona.

While Ancelotti and Real Madrid TV had a lot to say about the incident, Mbappe chose not to do so, but his actions can be perceived as speaking louder than any words could.

There is no doubt that Real Madrid have been left furious with the decision not to send off Romero, and that anger would likely have increased upon reading the referee report from Muniz Ruiz. They felt very hard done by on Saturday – not only with his incident, but also Vinicius Junior’s disallowed goal in the first half, which Mbappe was also involved in.

However, there is not much that Real Madrid can do now, and they must look forward. They take on Leganes in their Copa del Rey quarter-final tie on Wednesday, before a crucial La Liga fixture against Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu next weekend.