The VAR mystery: a refereeing opinion settles the controversy over Mbappé's penalty against Racing

An early controversy

Kylian Mbappé won a penalty inside the opening minutes as Real Madrid faced Racing Santander in La Liga.

The France star went down as he burst into the box, with Racing's Mateo Prati putting an arm across his path.

Racing's players surrounded the referee in protest, but the spot-kick stood. Mbappé stepped up to fire home Real Madrid's opener.

"Archivo VAR", a network that specialises in refereeing incidents, weighed in on its "X" account: "Video technology washed its hands at El Sardinero stadium."

The post went on: "Prati made light contact with Mbappé's stomach, who, upon feeling the contact, threw himself to the ground."

Its verdict was blunt: "It is not a penalty. There is no connection between the defender's intervention and the French player's fall."