Mbappé's Missed Penalty Against Betis: Bartra Knew the Rule That Changed Everything

Real Madrid lost 0-1 away at Betis, and controversy erupted quickly after Kylian Mbappé’s missed penalty in added time. At the heart of the debate: Marc Bartra’s position when the Seville defender cleared the ball after his goalkeeper’s save.

Madrid supporters immediately called for a retake, arguing that Bartra was encroaching in the penalty area. In the footage, the defender’s body is indeed leaning into the area. But the regulations do not account for body projection: only the position of the feet touching the ground matters.

At the moment of the clearance, Bartra’s left foot was slightly outside the area, while his right foot was in the air. The rule is explicit, as stated in the official regulations: “A player is considered to have encroached on the penalty area if, at the moment the penalty is taken, one or both of his feet are inside the area or on the line of the area. When assessing any possible encroachment, the projection of players’ bodies is not taken into account.” VAR therefore had no reason to intervene.

What makes the episode even more striking is that Bartra did not act on instinct. The former FC Barcelona defender had anticipated this situation precisely. “A few matches ago, Gaya did this little jump. I asked a referee friend if it was allowed, and he explained the rule to me: if the foot is in the air, you don’t have to retake it,” he said.

Everything came down to a few centimetres, but nothing was left to chance on the Betis side. The controversy, however fierce in Madrid’s ranks, does not withstand scrutiny of the regulations. For Real Madrid, which suffered their first La Liga defeat of the season, frustration remains complete — but it will have to be expressed elsewhere than on the officiating.