It was not to be for FC Barcelona against Atletico Madrid as they failed to pull off a comeback in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at the Metropolitano.
Despite starting strong and scoring two goals to cut the deficit from the first-leg defeat, a strike from Ademola Lookman put Atletico ahead on aggregate. From thereon, Barcelona huffed and puffed but could not find a way through.
While the Catalans have some issues that they need to address, it is also true that their task was made harder by some questionable officiating across both legs of their quarter-final tie.
The first leg saw the clear handball by Marc Pubill get ignored, denying Barça a clear penalty, while in the second leg, a clear foul on Dani Olmo inside the box was overlooked.
Barcelona angry, frustrated and disappointed
As such, SPORT reports that there is frustration, disappointment and anger at Barcelona following what is seen as poor refereeing after the tie against Atletico Madrid.
Those emotions were felt strongly when Clement Turpin blew the final whistle at the Metropolitano last night.
As per the report, there is significant anger within the upper levels of Barça over what they see as refereeing “disrespect” from UEFA throughout the tie.
This is seen internally as part of a recurring pattern and a lack of respect towards the club’s history and stature.
Laporta allegedly had a heated exchange with a UEFA official after loss to Atletico. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
In fact, club president-elect Joan Laporta made this clear directly to Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA’s deputy general secretary and director of football, during a heated exchange at the Metropolitano.
The incidents that stood out
The tie will be remembered for several controversial refereeing decisions that influenced the outcome.
Above all, the first leg featured what Barça consider a clear penalty for a handball by Pubill, which was not given by Istvan Kovacs or by VAR. Barça lodged a complaint with UEFA, which was dismissed just hours before the second leg.
In the return leg at the Metropolitano, there were further debatable moments. The red card for Eric Garcia was open to interpretation – whether he was the last man and whether the contact justified the decision.
There was also an incident where Juan Musso caught Fermin Lopez with his studs in the first half, almost striking his face after making a save.
These tightly contested ties are decided by small details – and those went Atletico’s way. The Pubill handball in particular is viewed as a key, decisive moment that could have changed everything.
The anger at Barcelona remains strong, with the club viewing it as a clear slight.
