Sunday’s El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium was a spectacle for several reasons. For 90 minutes, Real Madrid and Barcelona delivered a thrilling contest filled with goals and dangerous chances. And once it was over, clashes, arguments, and on-field altercations added even more drama to the story.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Fermin Lopez, along with the VAR decisions — including multiple disallowed goals for Los Blancos — and Wojciech Szczesny’s penalty save were among the highlights of a match between the two strongest sides in La Liga.
However, the post-match incidents stole the spotlight. After going mostly unnoticed throughout the game, Lamine Yamal found himself at the center of heated altercations involving Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois, and Vinicius Junior.
In that context, referee Cesar Soto Grado and his assistants paid close attention as they tried to determine which players were responsible for inappropriate behavior during the chaos — a process later reflected in the official match report, which confirmed disciplinary action for several stars.
Referee Cesar Soto Grado shows a yellow card to Pedri of FC Barcelona.
What does the referee’s report say?
The final report reveals that Soto Grado issued eight yellow cards and two red cards in El Clasico. Interestingly, only three of those bookings came during actual gameplay: the two yellow cards (and subsequent red) shown to Pedri, plus a yellow card for Fermin Lopez after shoving an opponent.
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One player from each team was booked for incidents that occurred after being substituted. That includes Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, both cautioned “for confronting an opponent without using insults or threats from the bench.”
Additionally, three more players were booked for their behavior after the final whistle — two from Los Blancos (Eder Militao and Rodrygo) and one from Los Blaugranas (Ferran Torres) — for the same reason as Balde and Vinicius.
Who was sent off for Real Madrid after the match against Barcelona?
Among all the players involved in the post-match incidents, one faced the harshest consequence: Andriy Lunin. The Real Madrid backup goalkeeper was shown a red card, as reflected in the official report shared by Marca.
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Referee Cesar Soto Grado justified Lunin’s dismissal as follows: “For leaving his technical area and approaching the opposing bench with an aggressive attitude, having to be restrained by his own teammates.” Although Real Madrid are expected to appeal the decision in the coming days, Lunin is likely to face a significant suspension following his red card.
