Watch – Lamine Yamal defends the penalty he won vs Rayo Vallecano to Spain teammate

The game between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona continues to make headlines, especially regarding the penalty awarded to Lamine Yamal by the referee during the first half.

The penalty came in the 40th minute of the first half, when Pep Chavarria’s knee struck Yamal’s thigh, sending him to the ground.

The referee immediately awarded a penalty, but VAR issues meant the decision could not be checked.

There was communication with the VAR room, but images were not reaching the VAR monitor, preventing the referee from reviewing incidents.

Yamal defends the penalty

There have been question marks over the referee’s decision to award Barcelona the penalty, with Rayo Vallecano president Raul Martin Presa himself airing concerns.

Now, currently on international duty, Lamine Yamal took the chance during Spain training on 2 September to explain the play and the resulting penalty to his teammate Mikel Oyarzabal.

❓ ¿La explicación del penalti en Vallecas?

Lamine Yamal y Oyarzabal protagonizan una simpática conversación en el entrenamiento de la selección española.

😆 "¡Anda ya! ¡Anda ya!" pic.twitter.com/acHNdhN9eV

— ElDesmarque (@eldesmarque) September 2, 2025

The Barcelona winger re-enacted the incident several times, insisting the referee was right to point to the spot.

Oyarzabal, however, laughed and replied with: “Come on, no way! No way!” As Yamal kept pressing his case, the Real Sociedad forward brought in reinforcements, calling over Martín Zubimendi.

The new Arsenal signing was also unconvinced. He shook his head repeatedly, dismissed Yamal’s version with exaggerated gestures, and shared knowing looks with his former Real Sociedad teammate.

It was a moment of humorous banter between Lamine and his Spain teammates as they gear up to take on Bulgaria in the FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture later this week.