Real Betis centre-back Marc Bartra became a talking point after the 1-0 win over Real Madrid when he explained the controversial possible area encroachment during the penalty taken by Kylian Mbappé.
The Verdiblancos defender admitted he had used a clever trick based on a previous play by José Luis Gayà, which sparked his curiosity and led him to take a closer look at the refereeing rules.
After seeing that earlier incident, Bartra decided to ask a friend of his, a former Segunda B referee, whether making a small jump without actually touching the ground counted as an infringement.
His words: "A few matchdays ago, I think it was Gayà who did the little jump, and I asked a referee friend of mine from Segunda B, who isn't refereeing anymore, and he told me that if you're there, but you're not touching the ground..."
The referee's answer was clear: as long as the foot remains in the air and does not touch the ground at the moment the ball is struck, there is no encroachment and no reason to retake the penalty.
This smart interpretation of the rules allowed the Catalan defender to time it right to the limit, making the defensive action valid and helping Betis secure the win against Los Blancos.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
