Atletico Madrid earned a 1-0 La Liga victory, which was overshadowed by Getafe defender Abdel Abqar’s red card for touching the genitals of their striker Alexander Sorloth.
Nahuel Molina’s long-range goal into the top corner in the eighth minute gave the hosts the lead, but seven minutes after the second half began, the game deteriorated into chaos.
Miguel Ángel Ortiz, the referee, stopped play and signaled for a video assistance referee (VAR) to look for a potential red-card infraction.
Replays on the large screens at Estadio Metropolitano revealed that after an off-the-ball dispute, Abqar touched Sorloth’s groin. In response, the Norwegian striker pulled his opponent to the ground.
Moroccan Abqar was dismissed, and Sorloth was booked for his response after consulting the pitchside monitor.
“It was not my intention to touch the player in this area,” Abqar told Movistar afterwards.
“You see it in every game, and in football, we’re touching, clashing, and everything, but I never thought about touching him in that area.
“I don’t know what the referee saw, but you can see it clearly, and I swear that I never thought about touching him there.”
But Atleti goalkeeper Juan Musso added, “These are things that happened 30 years ago; the referee was right to send him off.
“Before you could do this [in football], now there is no place for these things.”
Sorloth had hit the post before the interval, but Getafe squandered numerous late chances to equalize despite their numerical disadvantage.
A fourth straight win propelled Diego Simeone’s team to third position in La Liga with 57 points, six behind second-placed Real Madrid and ten behind leaders Barcelona, who have played one more game.
