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"I urge you all to watch the opening minute against Villarreal. Just sixty seconds is all you need."
That was José Mourinho's peculiar demand to assembled reporters during a cryptic and evasive pre-match press conference ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League encounter against Roma on Wednesday.
When questioned about officiating decisions during the 1–0 victory over Villarreal at the weekend, Mourinho chose instead to give the journalists their own assignment.
"For those who understand, the opening minute speaks for itself," Mourinho continued.
So what exactly was the moment that left the coach so agitated?
What Is Mourinho Referring to in the First Minute?
Mourinho's Madrid secured a 1–0 result at the Bernabéu on Saturday, recovering from a loss to city rivals Atlético Madrid before the international break.
Summer acquisition Yan Diomande netted the match's only goal shortly into the second half, while Vinícius Júnior had an effort disallowed for pulling the hair of Nathan Saliba—a move that resulted in a straight red card following a VAR review.
The dismissal on 73 minutes dominated post-match discussion, yet Mourinho declined to address the red card, instead pointing reporters toward the game's very opening minute.
Notably, the sole refereeing intervention in the earliest stages of the match is a tight offside call against Kylian Mbappé at 1 minute and 4 seconds, after the striker was released by Federico Valverde. Spanish outlet MARCA claims to have verified that this is the incident Mourinho was alluding to, with the manager apparently furious that the linesman raised his flag prematurely rather than allowing play to continue and awaiting the automated review.
Mourinho Builds a Narrative
Mourinho's focus on one minor, largely forgotten decision is part of a deliberate strategy to push a narrative of potential bias against Real Madrid.
It's a well-worn approach from Mourinho, who frequently works to foster an 'us against the world' mindset at the clubs he oversees.
By spotlighting one questionable moment in the opening minute, Mourinho is hoping supporters and journalists will draw broader conclusions, planting doubts about refereeing impartiality—a sensitive subject among many Madrid supporters given the ongoing Negreira case.
This is not the first instance this season where Mourinho has placed match officials under scrutiny. Before the fixture against Elche in September, the 63-year-old closed a press conference with the remark: "No questions about the penalties? Strange, no?"
Then, following the Madrid derby loss, he arrived at the press conference with printed images of controversial decisions and sharply criticized referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias' handling of the match.
"We can skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here," Mourinho declared as he held the images up for the media.
Later asked whether Madrid could still contend for the title, he replied: "If 'they' leave us alone and allow us to compete on a level playing field, there's still a long road ahead."