Raphinha was absent from both legs of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final due to injury, including the return fixture at Atlético Madrid’s stadium. Despite not featuring, the Barcelona winger attended the match from the stands to watch his team’s attempt at a comeback. However, the outcome prompted a strong reaction from him, particularly regarding the officiating across both matches.
Barcelona entered the second leg needing to overturn a 2–0 deficit from the first leg. The Catalan side responded effectively in the early stages, scoring twice within 24 minutes through Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres to level the aggregate score. However, Atlético regained the advantage in the 31st minute when Ademola Lookman scored, putting Barcelona behind again on aggregate.
The situation became more difficult for Barcelona in the 79th minute when defender Eric García received a red card, reducing the team to ten men. Although Barcelona won the second leg 2–1, they were eliminated from the competition with a 3–2 aggregate defeat.
A summary of the two legs is presented below:
| Leg | Venue | Result | Key Incident |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Leg | Barcelona | Barcelona 0–2 Atlético Madrid | Pau Cubarsí sent off (44’) |
| Second Leg | Atlético Madrid | Barcelona 2–1 Atlético Madrid | Eric García sent off (79’) |
| Aggregate | — | Barcelona 2–3 Atlético Madrid | Atlético progress |
Officiating decisions in both matches became a central point of contention. In the first leg, refereed by István Kovács, Barcelona were reduced to ten men following Cubarsí’s dismissal. In the return leg, referee Clément Turpin was criticised for several decisions, including not awarding a penalty after Dani Olmo was fouled in the first half.
Raphinha expressed his dissatisfaction after the match, stating: “The match was completely a robbery. The referee had many issues. Some of his decisions were unbelievable. I don’t know how many fouls Atlético committed, but he did not show cards.” He did not focus on a single incident but instead criticised the overall standard of refereeing.
He also referred to the first leg, suggesting that similar issues had occurred in both matches. “As far as I understand, this is a robbery. Not only this match, but the other one as well. I think the refereeing has been very poor,” he said.
Barcelona had previously lodged a formal complaint with UEFA regarding decisions in the first leg, including the non-award of a penalty and the absence of a red card for Atlético’s Marc Pubill. UEFA subsequently rejected the complaint, describing it as “inadmissible”.
Despite the elimination, Barcelona produced an active attacking performance in the second leg, registering 15 shots, eight of which were on target. Head coach Hansi Flick acknowledged the team’s display, particularly in the first half, stating that more goals could have been scored. He added that, based on both matches, Barcelona had the level to reach the semi-finals but accepted the result.
Barcelona’s season remains ongoing. They had already won the Spanish Super Cup in January and continue to lead the La Liga standings by nine points with seven matches remaining. Flick confirmed that the team’s immediate focus is on securing the league title while maintaining their current level of performance.
