The former Leeds United winger's Champions League dream ended in controversial fashion.
Former Leeds United winger Raphinha insists Barcelona were ‘robbed’ of a Champions League semi-final place following their exit to Atletico Madrid.
Raphinha is enjoying another impressive campaign at Barcelona but missed Tuesday’s quarter-final second-leg trip to Madrid due to a hamstring injury. Hansi Flicks’s side won 2-1 on the night but lost 3-2 on aggregate, with hope of a late leveller quashed due to a red card with 11 minutes to go.
Eric Garcia was initially booked for a foul on Atleti striker Alexander Sorloth but after a VAR review, was adjudged to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. His teammate Joules Kounde looked in a position to cover the run in behind but for the second time in this two-legged tie - having seen Pau Cubarsi dismissed last week - Barcelona went down to 10 men.
Following last week’s first-leg defeat, Barcelona filed an official complaint with UEFA over the failure to award them a penalty and send off Marc Pubil, a protest the governing body deemed ‘inadmissible’. But after feeling another big call went against his side, Raphinha fumed.
"The game was completely robbed," he told reporters, via ESPN. "The referee had a lot of problems. Some of the decisions he took were incredible. I don't know how many fouls Atletico made and he didn't book them. It's human to commit one error, but for it to happen again in another game?
“We played really well, but this tie was robbed from us. It was tough, especially when we see that we need to put in three times the effort to win the match. I really want to understand why [the referee] is so scared of Barca getting through the tie."
Reaction to ex-Leeds United hero Raphinha’s rant
The former Leeds hero’s extraordinary comments drew immediate attention from the opposition, with Atleti goalkeeper Juan Musso given a chance to respond. He labelled claims of robbery ‘madness’ and insisted his side booked their Champions League semi-final place on the pitch.
“You can’t talk about a robbery,” he said. “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.
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“We won it on the pitch; we won 2-0 away. Being the last man in football is a red card, unfortunately, 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.”
Raphinha is into his fourth season at Barcelona since leaving Leeds in a £55million deal back in 2022. The Brazilian registered 17 goals and 12 assists in 65 Premier League appearances for the Whites, almost single-handedly keeping them from being relegated during the 2021/22 campaign at times.
Since swapping Elland Road for Camp Nou, Raphinha has taken his game up multiple levels and last year was among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or. In almost four years at Barcelona, he’s registered an incredible 73 goals and 59 assists in 175 appearances across all competitions.
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