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Raphinha has criticised match officials following FC Barcelona’s Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid, insisting key decisions went against his team.
Barcelona won 2-1 in the second leg but were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate after losing the first leg 2-0, with both encounters marked by red cards and contentious calls.
“For me, we were robbed,” Raphinha said after the match.
“The refereeing was really bad, the decisions made were unbelievable.
“I don’t know how many fouls Atletico made, but the referee didn’t give them a single yellow card.
“I really want to understand why they’re so afraid that Barcelona will come and win.”
Barcelona had fought back into the tie through goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, but Ademola Lookman restored Atletico’s advantage with a clinical counter-attacking finish.
The game turned again in the second half when Eric Garcia was sent off after a VAR review for a foul on Alexander Sorloth, leaving Barcelona with ten men.
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Raphinha, who missed both legs due to injury, said the circumstances made the task more difficult for his teammates.
“It was tough, especially when you realise you have to work three times as hard to win the match.”
“I think this tie was quite misleading, in my view. I think everyone can make mistakes; everyone is human.
“But when the mistakes keep repeating themselves in the same way, I think that’s something we need to pay attention to.”
Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso dismissed the claims, saying the result was deserved.
“You can’t say this match was stolen from them; that’s ridiculous.
“They acted as if they should have had three penalties and we should have had four sendings-off. We won on the pitch, 2–0 away, and when you’re the last man back, you get a red card.”
