One of the flashpoints of the evening was an ugly challenge by Rudiger on a grounded Rico.
The Germany defender's knee connected with Rico's face, with the Getafe defender convinced Rudiger's actions were deliberate.
Rico told Deportivo Cope: "If he had caught me in a bad place, he could have just left me there. He was going to smash my face in.
"If it were the other way around, I would have received the same 10-match ban and wouldn't have played all season. I don't know what VAR is for because it should be there for these situations.
"It's clear he was going to hit me on purpose because in the previous play we had a scuffle that resulted in a foul, and on his way back to the defence he was saying things, and then in the next play the ball came to me and you can see how he almost pushed a teammate aside to smash my face in.
"If he had caught me in a bad position, he could have just left me there on the grass."