3 Real Madrid stars face season-defining bans after Copa del Rey meltdown | OneFootball

Real Madrid's 3-2 defeat to Barcelona on Saturday night could cost more than the Copa del Rey title, as Jude Bellingham, Lucas Vazquez and Antonio Rudiger in particular nervously await the final punishment for their unsporting antics.

Carlo Ancelotti's side were 2-1 up with six minutes of normal time remaining before they succumbed to a late Barcelona turnaround. Ferran Torres forced extra time and Jules Kounde won the final with a low, skidding effort in the 116th minute, but there was still time for three Real Madrid players to get sent off.

A night of extreme tension - heightened by rumours of Real Madrid boycotting the contest entirely after referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea's tears in the pre-match press conference - boiled over in the 122nd minute.

The scrutinised official, who had already awarded Barcelona a penalty which was overturned by VAR, blew for a foul against Kylian Mbappe, sending the Real Madrid bench wild. Vazquez charged onto the pitch in disgust while Rudiger took his protests one step further.

The German centre-back appeared to rip off the ice packs which had been strapped to his knees and hurled them towards the referee. Rudiger was promptly sent off, yet had to be restrained by a swarm of technical staff and fellow substitutes to avoid an even more serious offence.

Once the final whistle was belatedly blown, Bellingham also received his marching orders. As outlined in the referee's official report, the England international "approached our position in an aggressive manner, having to be restrained by his teammates".

Bellingham was also caught explicitly protesting several refereeing decisions during the match. At half-time, the 21-year-old moaned: "Everything goes to them. Everything that's 50/50 goes to them." AS also reported that Bellingham swore at the assistant referee: "Why? Why? That's so crazy! F*** off!" Madrid's No 5 has already served a two-game ban this season for using foul language.

There is some suggestion in the Spanish press that Bellingham and Vazquez will be slapped with bans for their actions. However, as each suspension is likely to be less than four games, it will only be applicable to next season's Copa del Rey, ensuring they will both be available for the remainder of the league campaign.

Rudiger's future, however, is far less certain. The referee described the centre-back as "displaying an aggressive attitude". According to Article 101 of the Disciplinary Code of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), as relayed by Mundo Deportivo, this could lead to a ban of anywhere between four and 12 games. In that scenario, the suspension would apply across all domestic competitions, thereby ruling Rudiger out of the decisive league Clasico against Barcelona on 11 May.

After a night to sleep on his actions, Rudiger was full of remorse. "There's definitely no excuse for my behaviour last night. I'm very sorry for that," the 32-year-old wrote on social media.

"We played a very good game from the 2nd half on. After 111 minutes I was not able to help my team anymore and before the final whistle I did a mistake. Sorry again to the referee and to everyone I have disappointed last night."