Tunnel Tensions and Red Cards at Halftime of Madrid Derby

The Madrid derby reached a boiling point at halftime. Just before the players headed into the tunnel, Antonio Rüdiger and Morten Hjulmand engaged in a heated exchange that required security intervention to separate them. The conflict stemmed from an extremely reckless tackle by Kang-in Lee on Federico Valverde just minutes earlier. Head referee Ortiz Arias deemed the foul not even worthy of a yellow card, further inflaming tensions within the "Los Blancos" camp.

While the incident didn't escalate severely, it sparked a skirmish involving other individuals. As a result, after play resumed, referee Ortiz Arias sent off one member from each team's coaching staff. These were Pedro Machado, one of José Mourinho's key assistants, and Pablo Vercellone, the goalkeeping coach for Diego Simeone's squad. Both had to watch the second half from the stands.

Tensions on the sidelines had been mounting from the very start. In the fifth minute, Simeone received a yellow card for protesting to the fourth official. Subsequently, Mourinho and several of his players vehemently expressed their displeasure over Alex Baena's repeated fouls on Arda Güler.