Almeria players were left furious after defeat at Real Madrid on Sunday.

After jumping to a 2-0 lead, Almeria eventually lost 3-2 thanks to the intervention of VAR on three occasions.

"Someone decided that we couldn't win here and that's how it happened," lamented Marc Pubill at the final whistle.

Teammate Gonzalo Melero then snapped: "We leave with the feeling that the game has been stolen from us, clearly. I think that more could not have been done from the outside to get them into the game. There's nowhere to get it.

"Today surpasses all limits. The lines have threatened us and on top of that they will think that they have done well. It hurts me a lot, but LaLiga is light years away from the Premier."

Edgar Gonzalez joined in the harshness of his teammates' complaints.

"You see that the other team can say anything to the referee one metre away from him and we can't. There are many differences. I understand that they are Real Madrid and we are Almería, but... This is a competition that should be fair for everyone and sometimes it is difficult to see that this is the case.

"The second goal is a handball and there is no penalty because I we saw them before. I push myself and there is a push that doesn't let me get up. If that contact is not a foul, the next one from (Jude) Bellingham for which they annulled the 1-3 score should not be either.

"We have great helplessness. All the decisions were for them. We're not last because of the referees, but in games like this it hurts when this happens."