Lewandowski violently thrown to the ground by defender – but VAR does nothing

Robert Lewandowski was violently thrown to the ground during Barcelona’s visit to Rayo Vallecano while the defender escaped punishment.

Barcelona were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw in Madrid on Saturday. The Blaugrana went behind in the 39th minute thanks to Unai Lopez, before equalising in the 82nd when Florian Lejeune turned a cross into his own net.

But Xavi’s side were left furious that they were not awarded a penalty after Lewandowski was slammed to the ground by Lejeune without any repercussions. Replays showed the moment the French centre-half tussled with the Pole, grabbing him by the shoulder and throwing him in a judo-style move.

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But La Liga referee Munuera Montero did not appear to spot the incident – and there was no intervention from VAR to hand Lejeune what should have been, at the very least, a yellow card. Barcelona supporters were understandably stunned at how it went unpunished as they took to social media to voice their outrage.

One Twitter user wrote: “He has to be sent off for that,” while another tweeted: “Even as a Madrid fan I can agree that this isn't right…”

Do you think the defender should have been sent off? Let us know in the comments section.

A third added: “Clear red,” and a fourth commented: “How did VAR not check this?”

Other Barcelona fans fumed: “If that isn’t a penalty, nothing is a penalty,” and: “LA LIGA IS A JOKE.”

It was not the only moment of controversy involving the official Montero, who dismissed a penalty appeal in stoppage time when it appeared that Raphinha was tripped up by Alfonso Espino. And it led Xavi to voice his frustration after the final whistle.

The Catalan said: “They are decisions that are going against us. You will tell me I am looking for excuses, but there was a clear penalty on Raphinha at the end.

"We are not having any luck with these decisions. That's not an excuse. It is a clear penalty. We [also] have to be self-critical and play better."

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