Real Madrid title chances ruined by Sevilla match referees says Toni Kroos

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos is not bitter, but he is full-on angry about the call during Real Madrid's 2-2 draw with Sevilla over a week ago.

Kroos made his feelings known when he was seen confronting the match officials alongside manager Zinedine Zidane after the final whistle. He is particularly infuriated about the incident where Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema was denied a penalty after being taken down by the Sevilla keeper during a counter-attack. Instead, the call was overturned and the worst parts was that Sevilla was given the penalty due to a handball by Eder Militao at the start of the play.

In the end, it proved to be a crucial decision as the match ended in a 2-2 draw. In effect, Real Madrid failed to leapfrog Atletico Madrid to the top of the La Liga table. Both Kroos and Zidane made their feelings known to referee Juan Martinez Munuera and his staff, but none of their protests made any difference.

More than a week later, despite winning their subsequent match against Athletic Club, Kroos still believes that the call may have cost Real Madrid the title. Kroos appeared in the Einfach Mal Luppen podcast and said, "Zidane never really says anything about decisions and he always protects the referees. So, the fact that he went to the referee after the game was a sign that he too felt a little ripped off, as did I."

At the moment, Real Madrid is still two points adrift of leaders Atletico, with only one match remaining. "My opinion is very clear and it is very rare that I disagree with the referee at all. I did on that day. [Militao] had his back to the ball and didn't even see the ball, while in slow motion you can see that the ball first goes to his shoulder and then to his arm. We were told that if the ball ricochets off another part of the body, then it's not a handball," he explained.

He says that the decision taken was a "serious intervention in the championship."

Kroos emphasised that he is angry about the call, and there is no doubt that he is even more angry that he won't be able to fight for the title on the pitch on Saturday. The German is currently in isolation after having tested positive for COVID-19 and will be missing the final crucial match of the season against Villarreal.