November 8
Valencia finish the match with ten men
José Gayà, the Valencia captain, defended the challenge that led to his straight red card during the match against Real Madrid—a game that ended in a 3-0 victory for the visitors this Saturday as part of the La Liga season.
Speaking to the press after the match, Gayà commented on the referee’s decision: "I haven't rewatched the incident, but I had to stop the attack. It’s true that my challenge was firm, but I had absolutely no intention of hurting the player." The Valencia captain added, "I believe the footage shows that I didn't go in with my studs up; my foot was kept low."
He continued, "I’m not sure if the referee sent me off because of the intensity of the challenge or because I was the last defender. I was in a poor defensive position, but in my view, it only warranted a yellow card."
Gayà was shown a straight red card in the 79th minute following a challenge on Kylian Mbappé—who had scored Real Madrid’s third goal in the 75th minute—leaving Valencia to play out the final minutes of the match with ten men.
Federico Valverde had opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 28th minute, followed by a second goal from Arda Güler in the 36th minute. Mbappé then completed the 3-0 scoreline, moving the Madrid side into second place in the La Liga standings with 30 points—level with league leaders Barcelona, who are set to face third-placed Atlético Madrid (28 points) on Sunday.
