Barcelona’s Raphinha blasts referees over ‘robbery’ in UCL clash vs Atletico Madrid

Madrid—Barcelona’s Champions League dream for 2025-26 ended at the Metropolitano on Tuesday night, but the fallout is only beginning. A 2-1 second-leg victory was not enough to erase Atletico Madrid’s 2-0 win in the opener, and the tie now lives on in the words of injured Barça winger Raphinha, who accused the match officials of engineering a “robbery” across both legs.

Speaking in the mixed zone while on crutches after a March international-break injury ruled him out of the quarter-final, the Brazilian did not hide his anger.

“This match was a robbery,” Raphinha said. “The refereeing had many issues; the decisions he made are unbelievable. Atletico committed I don’t know how many fouls, and the referee didn’t show them a single yellow card. I really want to understand his fear of Barça actually making it through the tie.”

The numbers back part of his claim: Atletico were whistled for 15 fouls to Barça’s eight on the night, yet left the pitch without a single caution. The broader grievance list includes the red cards shown to Pau Cubarsi in the first leg and Eric Garcia in the return, both dismissed after denying clear goal-scoring opportunities. A first-leg flashpoint also saw Marc Pubill appear to handle immediately after a Juan Musso goal-kick restart; officials ruled the ball was not in play and waved away appeals.

Raphinha insists the pattern is too stark to ignore. “I understand making a mistake in one match, but in two consecutive games?”

Atletico keeper Musso, who recorded seven saves in each leg, rejected the notion of conspiracy. “You can’t talk about a robbery,” he countered. “We won it on the pitch; we won 2-0 away. Being the last man in football is a red card, unfortunately.” Musso praised Barça as “a great team” but called the robbery talk “madness.”

Goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres trimmed the aggregate deficit, and Ademola Lookman replied for the hosts, yet the 3-2 aggregate scoreline sends Atletico through to the semifinals—and sends Barcelona into an off-season of recrimination.

Raphinha’s public denunciation ensures the debate will travel with them.