Ghanaian youth midfielder Mohammed Fatau made his first appearance for Rayo Vallecano on Saturday in their 5-1 La Liga defeat at Real Madrid.
The 21-year-old was very assertive in the middle and should have been booked midway through the first half when he quite clearly tackled Cristiano Ronaldo from behind.
But referee Pedro Jesus Perez Montero controversially kept his cards in his pocket, although he booked Fatau for a foul on Luka Modric shortly before the break.
At that point, Fatau should have been off.
Fatau, owned by Italian side Udinese, is on a season-long loan move after spent the last three years of his career in Spain.
Last season, he was on loan at Granada where he made nine appearances for the first team in La Liga.