Barcelona manager Hansi Flick expressed his disappointment over several refereeing decisions following his team’s 4-3 loss to Inter Milan, a defeat that prevented the Catalans from reaching their first Champions League final in a decade. The match concluded with an extra-time goal from home substitute Davide Frattesi.
Barcelona initially appeared to be on the verge of victory after coming back from a two-goal deficit to take a 3-2 lead with Raphinha’s goal in the 87th minute. However, Inter equalized through Francesco Acerbi in added time, forcing the match into extra time, where they ultimately found the winning goal.
Flick criticized Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, who had a busy night during the semifinal, second leg at San Siro. With Inter advancing 7-6 on aggregate, they will face either Paris St-Germain or Arsenal in the final.
The referee awarded Inter a penalty after a VAR review, determining that Pau Cubarsi had committed a foul on Lautaro Martinez—something Flick disagreed with. He also reversed an earlier decision, withdrawing a penalty awarded to Barcelona after VAR indicated that Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s foul on Lamine Yamal occurred just outside the box.
Barcelona’s players and coaching staff protested what they believed was a handball by Inter defender Acerbi in the penalty area and a foul by fullback Denzel Dumfries on Gerard Martin in the build-up to the equalizer.
“I don’t want to talk too much about the referee, but every decision that was 50-50 went in Inter’s favor,” Flick stated in a press conference. “I am disappointed, but not with my team. They tried everything. It’s the way it is. We are out, but next year we will strive to make the fans happy. It saddens me. My team performed excellently. I don’t like discussing the referee. I have shared my thoughts with him, but I’m not going to disclose what I said.”
Barcelona, which had been aiming for a treble after winning the Copa del Rey, will now shift its focus to La Liga, where it currently tops the table. They will host rivals Real Madrid on Sunday, with Real trailing by four points with only four games remaining.
Having remained unbeaten in domestic competition since late December, Barcelona will seek to secure a fourth consecutive victory over Real Madrid this season.
