‘Did you see Guiliano’s tackle?’ - Eric Garcia talks red card controversy after Barcelona vs Atletico

Barcelona defender Eric Garcia has publicly questioned the officiating that left his side with ten men in Wednesday night’s Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, a match that ended in a bruising 4-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano.

Speaking after the game, Garcia focused on the flashpoint that reduced the visitors to ten inside the opening half-hour. “Did you see Guiliano’s tackle?” he asked reporters, referencing the challenge that preceded the straight red card shown to a Barcelona player. The centre-back’s rhetorical query underlines the visitors’ belief that the decision was harsh and proved the pivotal moment in an already uphill battle.

Atlético took full advantage of the extra space, racing into a commanding lead before the interval and never looking back. The four-goal margin leaves Barcelona with a mountain to climb in the return leg and intensifies scrutiny on a side that, across multiple outlets, has been described as “lost” and “blown out” in one of its heaviest defeats of the season.

Barça now face the prospect of needing to score at least five without reply in the second leg to keep their cup hopes alive, a task made all the more daunting by the suspension hanging over the player sent off in the Spanish capital.