In the 63rd minute, Fran Garcia received his first yellow card for fouling from behind, stopping a Celta Vigo counter-attack. One minute later, Real's left-back again fouled from behind, leading to a second yellow and an indirect red card.

However, a lack of composure led to Real losing another player. In the 90+1st minute, Alvaro Carreras received his first yellow card for twice protesting the referee's decision to not allow a quick free-kick, then a second yellow for continued dissent.

After two players were sent off, many Real players reacted angrily towards the referee. Endrick, who was not playing, then received a direct red card.

Referee shows a red card to Alvaro Carreras during Real's 0-2 loss to Celta Vigo in La Liga's 16th round on the evening of 7/12. *Photo: EFE*

Former referee Iturralde Gonzalez affirmed Quintero's sending-off decisions were correct. For Garcia, both fouls were clear and warranted punishment. "He stepped on his opponent in the second foul. That action deserved a yellow card, and if he had already received one, then it's a red card," the former referee stated.

Iturralde also criticized Carreras for continuously protesting the referee on the field. "You cannot do that. That is an inexplicable mistake," he said.

While Iturralde supported Quintero's decisions, RMTV, the club's internal television channel, protested both during and after the match. RMTV claimed the referee performed poorly, made unreasonable decisions, was too lenient with Celta Vigo's time-wasting, and excessively strict with Real.

"Though it did not affect the score, Quintero's performance was reprehensible. It is clear he is trying to earn rewards like those during the Negreira era," RMTV stated, referencing Negreira, the former Vice President of the Spanish Referees' Committee, who was accused of receiving money from Barca.

Companies linked to Negreira allegedly received 9 million USD from Barca between 2001 and 2018. The former Vice President of the Referees' Committee and Barca explained the money was for legitimate technical reports and refereeing consultancy. A Spanish court dismissed the accusations.

At their home ground, Bernabeu, yesterday, Real conceded the first goal to Celta Vigo when Williot Swedberg scored from close range in the 54th minute. Two minutes after the second player was sent off, the home team conceded a second. Swedberg continued to shine, breaking the offside trap, dribbling past Thibaut Courtois, and slotting the ball into an empty net.

The loss to Celta Vigo leaves Real four points behind league leaders Barca. Xabi Alonso's team currently sits second with 36 points, one point ahead of Villarreal. If Villarreal wins their postponed match, they could move into second place, pushing Real down.

Thanh Quy (according to AS, Marca)