New Delhi: The first legs of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals have wrapped up, with Bayern Munich and Arsenal securing victories on the first day. However, day two did not deliver similar success for FC Barcelona and Liverpool. In a clash of arch-rivals, FC Barcelona faced Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou.
Atletico Madrid claimed a 2-0 victory, with Julian Alvarez scoring the opener and Alexander Sorloth extending the lead in the 70th minute. Barcelona’s difficulties were compounded by the red card issued to Pau Curbarsi, a decision that drew scrutiny from Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick. Flick expressed uncertainty regarding the justification for the red card, noting that the infraction’s nature was debatable. He also criticized VAR for not intervening in a situation where Marc Pubill handled the ball following a goal kick.
“I don’t know about Cubarsí’s sending off; it could be red or it couldn’t be. I’m not sure if he touches him enough. The ball was behind them. But in the situation where they touch the ball with their hand in the area, I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t come in. It’s normal to make mistakes, but in this type of situation, why do we have VAR? It should be a penalty and a second yellow, red,” Flick said, as reported by Football Espana.
Looking ahead to the second leg, which will take place in Madrid on April 15, Flick emphasized his team’s resolve. “They scored two goals and had a lot of quality. The first goal, we have to defend better; we received the red card and then the goal. We lost, but we created very good chances. We’re not going to give up. I think we had a lot of options,” Flick stated.
