The match between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, which took place today, Saturday, at the Riazor Metropolitano Stadium, saw a decisive intervention by Video Assistant Referee (VAR), which went in favour of Barça, who ended the match with a 2-1 victory, in the 30th round of La Liga.
The referee reversed his decision to send off the Catalan side’s defender, Gerard Martín, in the 46th minute of the match, following a heavy challenge on Atlético’s Tiago Almada.
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The Spanish network "Archivo VAR", which specialises in refereeing, described the decision as a "courageous intervention by VAR", arguing that Martin "cleared the ball in a controlled manner, and in the process stepped on the ankle of Almada, who had entered his area of influence".
The network added that the incident did not warrant a red card, as the Spanish Technical Committee for Referees (CTA) classifies such actions as warranting only a yellow card.
The referee had initially sent off Martín due to the force of the challenge, but a review of the footage showed that the young defender had struck the ball first, before making contact with his opponent’s foot, prompting the referee to rescind the sending-off and issue a caution instead.