UCL: Barça cry foul after defeat to Atlético Madrid

The evening turned into frustration for Barça. Dominated by Atlético Madrid, the Catalans left their stadium feeling wronged, notably pointing to a controversial moment in the second half. At the center of the debate, a handball by Pubill in the Madrid side’s penalty area, not penalized by the referee. A decision that immediately sparked confusion on the Blaugrana side, some arguing that a penalty should have been awarded at a key moment of the match. In light of this situation, the Catalan club does not rule out taking the matter to UEFA, convinced that this episode weighed heavily on the outcome of the match.

After the match, Marcus Rashford did not hide his irritation, delivering a blunt analysis: “it’s clear. It’s a penalty, it’s a penalty. It’s happened before and we’ve always had penalties whistled. It’s not a matter of common sense. Common sense says it should be a penalty. It’s everyone’s reaction. It’s even the reaction of his own players. I don’t understand. It’s happened to me before and we’ve always had penalties whistled. If it happens to us, we have the right to complain. If he wanted his teammate to shoot, he should have passed the ball to him with his hand. He passes it with his foot and Pubill touches it with his hand. For me, it’s a penalty.” Beyond the defeat, this controversy could leave its mark, as Barça believes it was deprived of a major opportunity to restart the game.