FC Barcelona took the lead in the first half against Rayo Vallecano in their third league game of the season. The goalscorer was Lamine Yamal, who was fouled in the box and was brought down for a penalty.
The referee awarded Barcelona the penalty and Yamal scored from the spot to score his seocnd goal of the season. Rayo Vallecano fans and players were furious with the decision and believed that Barcelona got away with it.
Before the start of the game, the referee Mateo Busquets spoke with both managers, Hansi Flick and Inigo Perez. The referee reportedly told both managers that the VAR monitor was not working and that the game would have no VAR for the first half.
Yamal's penalty was not reviewed by VAR, and the decision to award it was not challenged. A few players received yellow cards for protesting against the penalty.
Isaac Fuoto from COPE reports that VAR was not working during the Lamine Yamal penalty incident, but it started working with 5 minutes before halftime. The penalty occurred in the 37th minute.
VAR returns for the second half
As the players were coming on in the second half, reports suggested that the VAR monitor was working again.
Rayo Vallecano player Pedro Diaz was asked about his thoughts on Barcelona being awarded a penalty in the first half without VAR.
Pedro Diaz: "We must not look for excuses."
Some fans in La Liga view it as not controversial since the VAR monitor not working is on Rayo Vallecano. The club has been criticized for the pitch of their stadium, and now, with the VAR system not working.