La Liga have released RefCam footage from Real Madrid’s 1–1 draw with Real Betis, giving an insight into the players’ on-field discussions with the match official during heated moments.
Real Madrid took the lead at La Cartuja through Vinicius Junior on 17 minutes, but the game ended in disappointment for the visitors as Betis fought back to find a late equalizer, with Héctor Bellerín taking advantage of defensive chaos to finish past Andriy Lunin in second-half stoppage time.
Several Real Madrid players took issue with Bellerín’s strike, claiming Ferland Mendy had been fouled in the build-up. However, the goal was allowed to stand and the result was more dropped points for Madrid in the title race.
Following the tie, Álvaro Arbeloa’s team sit 11 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona with just five games left to play this season and any hopes of ending the campaign with silverware all but mathematically gone.
Real Madrid Stars Get Up Close and Personal With Ref
Best goal camara angle out there 🤯#Refcam pic.twitter.com/zPAZbHgDXj
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) April 28, 2026
Footage from referee Soto Grado during the match shows the tensions of the Real Madrid stars in high defintion as the likes of Federico Valverde, David Alaba and Vinicius Junior are shown remonstrating over various decisions.
In the aftermath of Bellerín’s goal, Grado tells the protesting Madrid players “I'm going to check for a possible foul.” Vinicius Junior is shown approaching the ref with his arms outstretched shaking his head in disbelief.
Valverde then approaches Grado and tells him “look at it,” and “I believe he (Antony) grabs him (Mendy) and it ends up being a goal.”
Meanwhile Betis’ Bellerín and Diego Llorente also approach Grado, with the latter saying: “Don’t let VAR influence you.”
Arbeloa Claims Referees ‘Don’t Understand’
Speaking after the match, the under-fire Arbeloa lashed out at the state of the officiating in La Liga.
Asked whether there should’ve been a foul given in the build-up to Betis’ goal, he told reporters: “Yes, for me it’s very clear. It doesn’t take much to destabilize the body at times, and you go to ground. For that, you need to understand football, and there we have a serious problem, above all with the people that have to make these decisions. They don’t know, nor do they understand.
“Another disappointment in the final minutes, which has happened to us many times, and which I don’t think we deserved. We had chances, we had a penalty in the first half, that could have sealed the match.”
The Referees’ Technical Committee (CTA) has since responded to Arbeloa’s comments insisting that the referee and VAR acted correctly in the awarding of the goal.
Betis’ controversial late equalizer is not the only incident in the match shown from the referee’s perspective in the clip. At one point, Grado is shown calling back Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian tries to restart play too quickly with a free kick.
“I just want to play,” the Brazilian says exasperated after hearing the whistle, as the referee explains that he is still talking to Bellerín.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as RefCam From Controversial Late Equalizer Shows What a Vinicius Junior Rant Looks Like Up Close.
