Raphinha: 'That was a robbery'

The bitter defeat of Barcelona in the Champions League left Raphinha unable to maintain composure, leading him to make sharp statements about the controversial officiating of the match.

Barcelona concluded their journey in the 2025/26 Champions League in the most bitter way possible, despite defeating Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the return leg, they were eliminated with an aggregate score of 2-3. The match saw the Catalan side start explosively, quickly taking a two-goal lead thanks to Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, before everything reversed due to a turning point in the first half.

Speaking after the match, Raphinha became the focal point by publicly criticizing the refereeing. “For me, that was a robbery. Atletico committed countless fouls, but the referee couldn’t even issue a single yellow card.” These sharp words clearly reflect the frustration of the Barcelona player, and simultaneously sparked a major controversy surrounding the fairness of the tie.

At the Wanda Metropolitano, Barca had a dream start when Yamal scored in the 4th minute, before Ferran Torres doubled the lead in the 24th minute. The game was completely in the hands of the visitors, and they even equalized the aggregate score after the two legs. However, Ademola Lookman’s goal in the 31st minute changed the situation, putting Atletico back in a dominant position.

The second half continued with rising drama as Barca seemed to have increased the score to 3-1, but Ferran Torres’ goal was disallowed for offside after VAR intervention. The peak of controversy arrived in the 79th minute, when Eric Garcia received a direct red card, forcing Barca to play with a man down during the decisive moments of the match.

These situations further intensified the sharpness of Raphinha’s statement: “What I really want to understand is the standard they applied to Barcelona; this entire tie was completely ‘stolen’.” The Brazilian star’s viewpoint quickly spread, reflecting the sense of injustice that the Barcelona players believed they endured.

Despite great effort in the final minutes with a series of chances from Lewandowski and Araujo, Barcelona could not score another goal. Ultimately, they won 2-1 in the return leg but were eliminated with an aggregate score of 2-3, conceding the semi-final spot to Atletico Madrid, ending a night full of regret and controversy.