Barcelona forward Raphinha has strongly criticised the refereeing following the Catalonia giant Champions League quarter-final exit against Atlético Madrid.
Raphinha missed both legs of the match after sustaining an injury while playing for Brazil in the last international break. The talented winger watched from the stand as Barcelona won the second leg 2-1, but lost 3-2 on aggregate.
French referee Turpin kept control of the game at the heated Metropolitano, but his failure to produce a single yellow card for the home side was notable.
He correctly ruled out Ferran Torres’s 3–1 “goal” for offside after a VAR review, a decision that would have sent Barcelona into extra time.
However, tensions boiled over in the 80th minute when Barça’s Eric Garcia was sent off. The defender brought down substitute Atlético striker Alexander Sörloth as the forward raced towards goal.
Raphinha Dias watched from the stands as Atletico de Madrid eliminate Barcelona. (Photo by Kazimierz Koper/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Turpin first reached for a yellow card, but after consulting VAR he reviewed the incident on the pitch-side monitor and upgraded it to a straight red.
Raphinha complained after the game, according to Fabrizio Romano.
“They stole the game from us,” the Brazilian complained.
The officials were “very poor”, Raphinha continued. “It’s unbelievable the decisions they made. I don’t know how many fouls Atlético committed today – and the referee didn’t show them a single yellow card…”
Raphinha remained fixated on the first leg as he vented his frustration. “One mistake in a match can happen, but two in a row? I can’t comprehend it. I’d like to understand why referees seem afraid of Barcelona winning,” the Brazilian snapped.
After the final whistle, Raphinha traded taunts with celebrating Atlético fans, suggesting they would exit at the semi-final stage. Die Colchoneros are likely to face Arsenal in the next round.
Arsenal began their quarter-final against Sporting Lisbon as clear favourites and won the first leg in Portugal 1-0. On Wednesday evening, the Gunners aim to seal the deal in the return leg in front of their home crowd.
