The VAR audio from Elche vs Real Sociedad: "It's a clear goalscoring opportunity; I'm sending off number... Can you tell me the number?"

The 2-3 win for Real Sociedad at Elche swung in the 60th minute. With the score at 0-2, Jon Martín stopped a Fer Niño through-ball with his arm just as Osorio was about to go one-on-one with Unai Marrero. The move continued and Luka Sucic scored the 0-3, but referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias ended up at the monitor following a VAR alert, disallowed the goal and sent off the visiting centre-back.

• Jon Martín handled a Fer Niño pass in the 60th minute with the score at 0-2.
• The play carried on and Luka Sucic made it 0-3 before the VAR stopped the review.
• Rubén Ávalos, from the VOR room, told Ortiz Arias there was a potential red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
• The referee asked for the exact shirt number before confirming the dismissal for deliberately handling the ball to prevent an obvious scoring chance.

What happened in the disallowed Real Sociedad goal

Elche were pushing for a way back into the match when Real Sociedad broke at speed. Fer Niño slipped a pass that left Osorio in a strong position, already eyeing Unai Marrero. Jon Martín stepped across the line of the ball and it struck his arm, which was slightly away from his body. The ball changed direction and the visitors continued the move until Luka Sucic finished past the Elche goalkeeper.

The goal went up on the scoreboard, but the VOR room was already looking at what had happened a few seconds earlier. Rubén Ávalos believed the handball was part of the same attacking phase and could warrant a red card, so he called Ortiz Arias to the screen.

Okay Miguel, I recommend an on-field review so you can assess a potential red card. Let me know when you're at the screen, please.

The conversation between Ortiz Arias and the VOR room, step by step

The exchange between the Madrid-born official and Rubén Ávalos was captured clearly. Ortiz Arias replied "heard, I'm on my way" and, once at the monitor, the VAR first showed him a shot of the ball hitting the arm and then a wider angle so he could judge the tactical impact of the action.

Okay Miguel, we can see that the defender cuts out a pass in a clear goalscoring opportunity with his arm in an unnatural position. I'll give you the hand first so you can see it's punishable, and then a wider one so you can assess the tactical impact.

Ortiz Arias asked for the image to be stopped at 50 metres to check where the ball was heading and whether Osorio's teammate was in an advantageous position. His reading was immediate: a very clear goalscoring opportunity. From that point, the decision was not in doubt.

The most talked-about moment: finding Jon Martín's shirt number

With the red card decided, one detail still mattered: confirming exactly which player had committed the offence. Ortiz Arias asked from the pitch whether it was number 6, and the VOR room took a few seconds to confirm it. The exchange ended with the referee repeating "number six, OK".

It's a very clear goalscoring opportunity. So I'm going to give a direct free kick and a red card for the number... Can you tell me the number? Is it 4?

Once the player was identified, the referee awarded a direct free kick to Elche, disallowed Sucic's goal and sent off Jon Martín. His match report summed it up simply: he had played the ball with his hand, preventing an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

What the handball rule says about denying a clear goalscoring opportunity

The laws of the game leave no room for doubt when a defender prevents a clear goalscoring opportunity with his hand: it is a straight red card with no grey areas. Jon Martín's arm was away from his body and made him unnaturally bigger, which the rulebook defines as an unnatural position.

Even though the ball had come off Fer Niño moments before, that does not remove the offence: the action is judged as a deliberate handball that stopped an attack with an obvious chance of a goal. That is why the VAR did not simply review the goal, but also advised the referee to consider the sanction.

What Jon Martín's red card means for Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad held on to win 2-3 at the Martínez Valero, but they lost the centre-back for their next LaLiga fixture. Jon Martín, who has represented Spain at youth level, is a rotation option in the Basque side's defence, and his absence forces Imanol Alguacil to reshuffle his back line.

The match, which Elche had controlled in spells, left the visitors with ten men just as the home side were pushing. The final 2-3 kept the tension alive until the last whistle, but Real Sociedad weathered the late pressure and took all three points back to San Sebastián.

How the game ended and what comes next for both teams

Elche and Real Sociedad produced a frantic match in which almost everything happened. Goals from Kubo and Sucic put the visitors in control before the sending-off, and Elche responded with two goals that gave Alguacil's men a real scare.

For the home side, every point at the Martínez Valero matters in the fight to stay up. For Real Sociedad, winning away from home strengthens their push towards the European places, although Jon Martín's suspension will shape the next starting line-up.