Valencia captain hits out: I did not deserve the sending-off against Real Madrid
The bats finished the match with ten players
Jose Gaya defended the tackle that earned him a straight red card as Valencia slipped to a 3-0 defeat against Real Madrid on Saturday evening in La Liga.
Speaking to the press after the match, the Valencia captain had his say on the referee's decision: "I haven't watched the incident again, but I had to stop the attack. It's true that my tackle was strong, but I never intended to hurt the player at all."
Read also
Threats to end the partnership with Morocco: the 2030 World Cup at the heart of the Spanish election battle
Why did he prefer Real Madrid over Barcelona? Gabriel responds in two words
He added: "I think the pictures show that I didn't go in with my studs, rather my foot was low."
"I don't know if the referee sent me off because of the force of the tackle, or because I was the last defender," he continued. "I was in a poor defensive position, but for me, the incident deserved only a yellow card."
The red came in the 79th minute, after Gaya fouled Kylian Mbappe, who had just netted Real's third in the 75th. Valencia saw out the final minutes with ten men.
Federico Valverde had opened the scoring in the 28th minute, with Arda Guler doubling the lead eight minutes later. Mbappe's strike completed the rout and lifted Madrid to second in La Liga on 30 points, level with leaders Barcelona. The Catalans travel to third-placed Atletico Madrid, who sit on 28 points, on Sunday.
