Barcelona suffered a 2–0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, putting their Champions League hopes in serious jeopardy. Barcelona now need to win by at least two goals in next week’s return leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano to advance.
After the match, Hansi Flick expressed frustration at several refereeing decisions. He questioned the use of VAR after a potential handball by Marc Pubill in the box went unpunished, saying: “It should be a penalty and a second yellow, red. Why do we have VAR?” He also commented on Pau Cubarsi’s red card, admitting he was uncertain whether it was justified.
Flick confirmed that Pedri was substituted at halftime due to a minor injury, bringing on Gavi instead. He also praised young star Lamine Yamal for his performance, calling him one of the future greats and urging referees to protect players like him from excessive aggression.
Despite the defeat, Flick remained optimistic: “We gave everything and we weren’t lucky, but we have to look ahead to the next game. We’re positive, we’ll fight.”