Atletico Madrid star fires back at Barcelona captain over ‘robbery’ claim: ‘It is madness’

Madrid, Spain – The embers of Barcelona’s Champions League quarter-final exit still glow, and now Juan Musso has added his voice to the debate, forcefully rejecting Raphinha’s assertion that Atletico Madrid’s progression amounted to a “robbery.”

The Argentine goalkeeper, whose saves helped secure a 2-0 second-leg victory at the Metropolitano, addressed the Brazilian winger’s post-match comments head-on. “It seems as though there were three penalties they didn’t get, or four red cards. You can’t talk about a robbery,” Musso said. “Let’s not start talking about theft because it doesn’t help.”

Musso conceded the raw emotion that accompanies elimination but insisted Atletico’s place in the semi-finals was earned between the white lines. “We won on the pitch; we beat them 2-0 away. Last man, in football, is a red card, unfortunately,” he added, referencing the pivotal sending-off that reduced Barcelona to ten men.

The 30-year-old expressed respect for the Catalan giants, calling them “a great team” that “motivates us to play against them,” yet he drew a firm line at the suggestion of officiating malfeasance. “To talk about a ‘robbery’ is madness.”

Much of Barcelona’s ire centred on a second-half incident in which midfielder Fermin Lopez collided with Musso’s outstretched boot while contesting a loose ball. Lopez required several minutes of treatment before continuing, and slow-motion replays showed heavy contact. Musso, who immediately checked on the 21-year-old, dismissed suggestions the clash merited a spot-kick. “It’s a challenge that pains me for him, because he got injured and I never want that. It’s a challenge that happens, with his header and me stretching my leg to block it. How can anyone think that’s a penalty?”

With both camps refusing to yield, the fallout from the tie looks set to linger well beyond the final whistle, yet Musso’s message was unequivocal: Atletico advanced on merit, not through misdeed.