Barcelona’s Champions League elimination against Atletico Madrid has continued to cause major controversy, with debates largely focused on refereeing decisions and VAR interventions.
The return leg at the ‘Metropolitano Stadium’ ended in a 2-1 victory for Barcelona, but it was not enough to overturn the 2-0 defeat in the first leg, causing the Catalans to be eliminated with a 3-2 aggregate score.
However, beyond the result, attention shifted to several controversial episodes that influenced the course of the two meetings.
One of the most commented moments was the intervention between Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso and Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez. In that action, Fermin tried to kick the ball by jumping with his whole body and during the fall he collided with Musso’s heel.
Despite protests from the Catalan players, the referees ruled that there was no foul, arguing that the goalkeeper’s foot was not in an unnatural position.
According to the Archivo VAR website, which deals with controversial referee decisions during a match, this case was not a penalty and referee Clement Turpin made the correct decision.
Is the interference between Musso and Fermin punishable? NO. Fermin hits the ball with a dive and, during the fall, collides with Musso’s heel, which was not at an unnatural height.
“It is a normal moment of play and, for this reason, VAR decided not to intervene,” the page’s explanation said.
