This controversial sending-off mirrors the exact curse that plagued the team in the first leg. In that initial encounter, Pau Cubarsi was dismissed in the 42nd minute for a professional foul, which directly led to Julian Alvarez scoring from the resulting free-kick to secure a 2-0 victory for Atletico.
Today’s incident involved a tight offside call before the foul was confirmed. Explaining the decision, refereeing analyst Iturralde Gonzalez stated on Spanish TV: "They have to check if it is offside and if it is not, they have to check if it is a clear goalscoring opportunity... If it is not offside, I think it is more red than yellow."