Raphinha Accuses Referees of "Robbery" in Controversial UCL Showdown Against Atletico Madrid—What Really Went Down?

One of the more contentious moments from the first leg arose when Marc Pubill appeared to handle the ball after Juan Musso restarted play from a goal kick, only for the officials to wave away the appeals on the grounds that the ball was not yet in play. On the foul count, Atletico committed 15 compared to Barcelona’s eight in the second leg, yet the Colchoneros escaped without a single yellow card on the night.

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For Raphinha, the accumulation of those decisions across both matches points to something more than isolated errors. “It was tough, especially when you see that you have to put in triple the effort just to win the match. I understand making a mistake in one match, but in two consecutive games?” the Brazilian added.

Musso responds to Raphinha

Raphinha’s pointed comments did not take long to make their way around the mixed zone, and Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso was given the chance to respond. The Argentine, who was outstanding across both legs, was having none of it.

“You can’t talk about a robbery. I understand what anyone might say. I respect everyone’s opinion, but let’s not frame the series as if it were a robbery, because that wasn’t the case. We won it on the pitch; we won 2-0 away. Being the last man in football is a red card, unfortunately,” Musso said, directly addressing the dismissals of Cubarsi and Garcia.

Having made seven saves in each leg, Musso was a central figure in Atletico’s progression through the Champions League quarterfinals, and he made a point of acknowledging the quality of the opponent while firmly rejecting Raphinha’s characterization. “They are a team we respect a lot and one that truly motivates us to play against. They are a great team, but I think talking about a robbery is madness,” he concluded.

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