A dramatic 3-2 comeback victory for Real Madrid against bottom-placed Almeria was secured by Dani Carvajal's ninth-minute stoppage-time goal in a LaLiga match marked by VAR controversy.
Real Madrid climbed to the top of the LaLiga table with 51 points, two ahead of Girona. Almeria, still without a win in 21 LaLiga matches this season, took a surprising two-goal lead with early strikes from Largie Ramazani and Edgar Gonzalez.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, visibly frustrated, made three halftime changes that revitalized his team. Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham applied pressure, leading to a Bellingham penalty in the 56th minute, awarded after a contentious handball decision following a lengthy VAR review.
Almeria had a Sergio Arribas effort disallowed for an alleged infringement in the build-up, causing further controversy. Real Madrid had an equalizer initially ruled out for a Vinicius Jr handball, later awarded after VAR determined it was off the shoulder, leaving Almeria's players and manager Asier Garitano upset.
Bellingham had a goal ruled out for a contentious offside and almost scored later with an acrobatic scissor kick. In the ninth minute of added time, after a red card for manager Garitano and near misses, Bellingham provided the cross for Carvajal's winning goal at the far post.
Almeria's Gonzalo Melero claimed they were robbed, but Carvajal disagreed, stating, "If Melero watches the plays calmly, he will surely realize that they are correctly refereed."
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