Atlético Madrid lament VAR ‘error’ that reversed Barcelona’s red card decision.
MADRID — Diego Simeone expressed his discontent regarding the contentious decision to reverse Gerard Martín’s red card during Atlético Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Barcelona on Saturday.
Giuliano Simeone gave Atlético the lead in the first half at the Metropolitano, but Marcus Rashford equalized, and Robert Lewandowski netted the decisive goal in the 87th minute, further solidifying Barça’s position at the top of the LaLiga standings.
Atlético was reduced to 10 players for 45 minutes following Nico González’s dismissal, while Barça avoided a red card of their own early in the second half when Martín was sent off for a strong challenge on Thiago Almada, only for a VAR review to change the punishment to a yellow card.
“There isn’t much to discuss. The action is evident,” coach Simeone stated in his post-match press conference. “He [Martín] arrives late and steps on [Almada].
“I observed the [similar incident] from Betis-Rayo [on Feb. 21], and the [referees’ committee] CTA indicated it was a red card … Let’s hope the CTA addresses this in midweek and provides clarity for next week. They made an error, as we coaches sometimes do.”
“For anyone who understands football, it’s a red card,” defender Robin Le Normand remarked. “I am unsure what transpired. [The referee] made the correct call, then they reviewed it.
“Everyone can err, but I believe they made a mistake today. There were significant details that influenced the match.”
Barcelona’s victory came after rivals Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Real Mallorca earlier on Saturday, resulting in Barça now holding a seven-point advantage at the top.
Atlético will next face Barcelona on Wednesday, as the teams clash again in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg, marking the first of three encounters within 10 days.
Simeone opted to rest several key players for Saturday’s match, including Julián Álvarez and Ademola Lookman.
“We had a very strong first half, with opportunities for both teams, and the squad performed well,” Simeone noted. “The sending off [of Nico González] was justified. Some sendings off are indeed sendings off.
“In the second half, the game changed. We were unable to attack as we would have preferred. The [Lewandowski] goal came late, off a rebound, when we could have equalized.”
“We played exceptionally well in the first half,” goalkeeper Juan Musso stated. “The red card impacted us. It is challenging to compete with one player down. I believe [Martín’s] was a red … 11 versus 11, we were superior, in my opinion.”
