Flick furious over bizarre 'clear red' in Barça loss
Why it matters: Barcelona faces a 2-0 deficit against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg.
- Hansi Flick raged that Barcelona should have been awarded a penalty and Atlético Madrid's Marc Pubill sent off for a handball, calling it a "clear red card" and feeling the VAR was "very focused today for Atlético."
- Pau Cubarsí was initially shown a yellow card for a last-man challenge, but VAR upgraded it to a red, leading to Julián Álvarez scoring Atlético's first goal from the resulting free kick.
- Julián Álvarez scored his ninth Champions League goal of the season, and substitute Alexander Sørloth sealed Atlético's 2-0 victory, their first at Camp Nou since 2006.
- Marcus Rashford had seven shots for Barcelona but was unable to score past Juan Musso, who made seven saves for Atlético Madrid.
- Flick believes the tie is "not done yet" and Barcelona still has a chance to fight for the semi-final despite the two-goal deficit and playing with one less player for much of the game.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick expressed outrage over what he deemed a "clear red card" and penalty denied to his team during their 2-0 Champions League loss to Atlético Madrid, a decision he believes unfairly influenced the game after Pau Cubarsí's initial yellow card was upgraded to a red via VAR. Despite the defeat and perceived officiating bias, Flick remains optimistic about Barcelona's chances in the upcoming second leg.
