Pellegrini blamed Lamine Yamal. Hours later, Bernal blamed himself

By the Data Desk · Published 18 OCT 06:30 · Updated 19 OCT 07:30

Manuel Pellegrini left La Cartuja on Saturday night saying Lamine Yamal had provoked the red card that decided Betis's 5-2 defeat by Barcelona. About two hours later the player sent off, Facundo Bernal, apologised on social media and took the blame himself: "No suelo reaccionar así y debí controlarme en esa jugada" (I don't usually react like that and I should have controlled myself).

• Pellegrini on the 54th-minute sending-off, as reported by COPE: "Lo empuja, lo provoca, le pegó un buen empujón y el otro respondió" (he pushes him, he provokes him, he gave him a good shove and the other one responded).
• Bernal: "Asumo la responsabilidad y no volverá a ocurrir" (I take responsibility and it will not happen again). He also apologised to his teammates and the Betis fans for leaving the team a man down.
• The RFEF released the VAR audio of Giovani Lo Celso's goal, ruled out for a Cucho Hernández handball with Betis 2-1 down. The Competition Committee has not yet ruled on Bernal's ban.

The score was 3-2 when it happened. Abde Ezzalzouli had just pulled Betis back with a shot from outside the box in the 53rd minute, and in the scuffle that followed Bernal was sent off after a clash with Lamine Yamal, who was booked. With the extra man, Barcelona added goals from Eric García and Dani Olmo.

Pellegrini went much further than the red card. He called the performance of referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea "lamentable, absolutamente sin criterios futbolísticos" (lamentable, with absolutely no football criteria) and said both players should have been booked, rather than the one who responded being sent off. On Lo Celso's goal, which would have made it 2-2 just before half-time, he accepted the handball but argued: "Es mano de Cucho, pero porque el jugador de Barcelona lo empuja atrás" (it's Cucho's handball, but because the Barcelona player pushes him back). He did say Bernal's reaction was wrong, but insisted the aggression came from Lamine.

Bernal's message, posted on social media and reported by COPE late on Saturday, struck a different tone. "Quiero pedir disculpas a mis compañeros y a la afición del Real Betis por haber dejado hoy al equipo con un jugador menos", he wrote (I want to apologise to my teammates and the Betis fans for leaving the team with one player fewer today). The RFEF then released the VAR conversation on the Lo Celso goal, in which Carlos del Cerro Grande told the referee: "Observamos que el delantero del Betis hace un movimiento adicional para controlar el balón" (we can see the Betis forward makes an extra movement to control the ball). After watching the screen, De Burgos Bengoetxea replied: "Para mí la mano es punible, es la misma fase de ataque porque el Barcelona no tiene el control, posesión, del balón" (for me the handball is punishable, it is the same attacking phase because Barcelona do not have control of the ball).

The Competition Committee had not ruled on Bernal by Sunday morning, and we will not guess the length of his ban. Betis host Feyenoord on Wednesday at 21:00 CEST and go to Celta next Sunday. Barcelona, nine wins from nine and five points clear of Atlético, play PSG in Paris on Tuesday and host Real Madrid on 25 October.