Barcelona manager, Hansi Flick, has criticised VAR intervention after a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sørloth handed Diego Simeone’s side a first-leg advantage against the Blaugrana.
Hansi Flick said his side lost to Atlético Madrid in the first-leg tie at the Camp Nou due to a lack of luck.
Citing an off-ball violation, the Blaugrana boss expressed fury after a bizarre handball incident involving Marc Pubill went unpunished by both the referee and the VAR room.
ADVERTISEMENT
While the handball caused the late-game outcry, the red card shown to Barcelona’s 18-year-old defender, Cubarsi, just before half-time pushed the advantage towards Atletico.
ADVERTISEMENT
The young defender was shown a straight red card for a foul on Giuliano Simeone, who was adjudged to be through on goal.
Julian Alvarez capitalised immediately, curling the resulting free-kick into the top corner to give the visitors the lead.
Flick expressed dissatisfaction with the referee and VAR decision, saying, “Maybe it’s deserved, maybe it’s not… I’m not sure if he touches him enough because the ball was behind them. But the situation in which Pubill touches it with his hand and the referee doesn’t give anything, for me, is very clear.”
“We played well in the first and second half, even with a player less. We gave everything, but today luck was not on our side. It’s not over yet.”
“We’ll try, we’ll fight. The semi-final might seem far away now, but we’ll try to be there,” he concluded.
ADVERTISEMENT
