Copa del Rey: Shirt Pull Penalty & Caleta-Car Controversy

Some jersey prints are less discreet than others. On Wednesday evening, a foul by Duje Caleta-Car in the penalty area seemed so surreal that we had to wait for the intervention of the VAR to sanction the gesture of the central defender of Real Sociedad.

Shortly after the hour mark, Alavés striker Toni Martinez appeared in the Basques area. In the duel with the Croatian full-back, the light suddenly went out for him: Caleta-Car had grabbed his jersey so tightly that it came up to his head. The Spaniard tried to continue the action, but he lost control of the ball, little helped by this reduced visibility.

Missed penalty

But video assistance came into play, the former Olympique Lyonnais and Marseille defender received a warning and his opposite number won a penalty. Excellent news on paper since he had already transformed a first period to put his team in the lead (2-1, 29th).

However, Martinez missed this new attempt (67th). The start of problems for Alavés. Ten minutes later, former Parisian Gonçalo Guedes (76th) and Orri Oskarsson (80th) allowed Real Sociedad to overturn the match (3-2). Caleta-Car’s anti-play did no more damage than that to the Basques, qualified for the semi-finals of the Cup.

Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

Leave a Comment