Barcelona president Joan Laporta didn’t hide his frustration after the Champions League quarterfinal loss to Atlético Madrid, calling the refereeing “disgraceful” and vowing to take the matter to UEFA.

Barça beat Atlético 2-1 at the Metropolitano, but that wasn’t enough. They lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate, after dropping the first leg 2-0 at home the week before.

After the match, injured forward Raphinha called the result a “robbery.” Laporta backed him up the next day, telling reporters, “First of all, congrats to Atlético for making the semifinals, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting the refereeing go. It was a disgrace. In the first leg, we didn’t get a penalty for a Marc Pubill handball, and Pau Cubarsí got a red card when it should’ve been a yellow. Giuliano Simeone didn’t even have control of the ball.”

He went on, “The ref actually got it right with the yellow at first, but VAR stepped in and made it a red card. That really hurt our chances. The referees played a massive part in how this tie went. The second leg was more of the same.”

After the first game, Barça filed an official complaint to UEFA, arguing they were owed a penalty when Pubill handled the ball after keeper Juan Musso appeared to restart play. They also thought Pubill, who was already booked, should’ve been sent off. UEFA shot the complaint down, calling it “inadmissible.”

Laporta didn’t run out of grievances in Madrid, either. He pointed to Eric García’s red card in the 79th minute, Ferran Torres’ goal being ruled offside, a penalty shout for a foul on Dani Olmo, and Musso’s reckless challenge that left Fermín López with a bloody mouth.

“For Eric’s red card, Jules Koundé was there to cover, so Eric wasn’t the last man,” Laporta said. “The referee already had the yellow out, but VAR stepped in again. Ferran’s offside call was harsh, and we should’ve got a penalty for Olmo. Then there was that kick to Fermín’s face, no card, nothing. Totally unacceptable. We filed a complaint after the first leg, and UEFA told us it was ‘inadmissible.’ Well, we’re not done. We’re asking for more answers, and we’ll keep pushing because this whole situation is what’s really inadmissible.”

Barça actually started strong, with Lamine Yamal and Torres scoring early to inspire hope of a comeback. But Ademola Lookman put Atlético back in control, and when García got sent off, Barça spent the last 15 minutes with only ten men. Their wait for another Champions League title, going back to 2015, drags on.

Atlético, still hunting for their first Champions League trophy, now move on to face either Arsenal or Sporting CP in the semifinal.

Barça’s young star Lamine Yamal tried to lift spirits afterwards, posting on social media: “We gave everything, but it wasn’t enough. This is part of the journey. If you want to reach the top, you have to keep climbing. We know it won’t be easy, and not everyone wants to make it easy for us, but we don’t quit. Every mistake is a lesson. We’re Barça, and we’ll get back to where we belong. My parents taught me to keep my word, and we’ll bring the Champions League back to Barcelona.”

Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth fired Atletico Madrid into a strong position with a 2-0 win over 10-man Barcelona in a tense Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday night. Barcelona seemed to have the upper hand at Camp Nou at least until Pau Cubarsi brought down Giuliano Simeone, who was clear through on goal. The ref initially showed Cubarsi a yellow, but after checking VAR, he switched it to a red. Alvarez then curled in the free kick, and with 20 minutes left, Sorloth added a second. Suddenly, Atletico looked well on their way to the semi-finals.

Diego Simeone’s team have never won the Champions League, though they came close in 2014 and 2016, only to lose both finals to bitter rivals Real Madrid.

“We have things to learn,” admitted Antoine Griezmann afterwards. “Of course, we’re happy, but we’re not there yet. There’s still 90 minutes to go, maybe more, so we have to stay grounded.”

Barcelona, who made the semis last year, now face a massive task in Madrid next Tuesday if they want to keep their dreams alive. Defender Ronald Araujo isn’t giving up. “It’ll be tough, but if anyone can do it, it’s us.”

Not surprisingly, coach Hansi Flick was furious at how VAR was used. He saw Cubarsi get sent off after a review, but thought Atletico got away with a potential handball from Marc Pubill in the second half. The incident saw Pubill handle the ball after keeper Juan Musso passed it out for him to take the goal kick, and Flick insisted it should’ve gotten another look. “The VAR was very focused today for Atletico. He’s a German guy, so thanks, Germany,” Flick said, noticeably sarcastic. “For me, it’s a clear red card, then everything changes.”

Simeone, though, called it “common sense.”

This was the second of three meetings between these clubs in just two weeks. Atletico already knocked Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey last month.

Barcelona actually started well. Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, kept causing problems down the left. Meanwhile, Atletico tried to close down Lamine Yamal on the right, opening up more space for Rashford. The first good chances fell to the England forward, but Musso shut the door each time.

Atletico had their threats too, with Alvarez recently linked to a move to Barcelona, testing Joan Garcia in goal. Rashford kept breaking away from Nahuel Molina and even found the net, but the goal was chalked off for offside earlier in the move. Even with three defenders chasing him, 18-year-old Yamal still managed to dance free and force a save from Robin Le Normand.

Atletico captain Koke may have ridden his luck in the first half, picking up just a yellow after a string of hard fouls, much to the frustration of the home crowd.

That all changed before half-time. With Griezmann quiet, Barcelona held control until 19-year-old Cubarsi’s clumsy chase brought down Giuliano Simeone, giving Kovacs the choice to upgrade his yellow to a red after checking VAR. Then, Alvarez stepped up and curled the free kick straight into the top corner. Barcelona found themselves a goal down and a man down.

Even so, they kept pushing. Rashford kept coming close, Yamal set him up for another big chance, but after rounding Musso, Rashford hit the side netting. He had a free-kick tipped over as well. But then, against the run of play, Atletico struck again. Griezmann and Matteo Ruggieri combined well, with Ruggieri crossing for Sorloth. Sorloth brushed off Gerard Martin and drilled his shot past Garcia.

This defeat marked Barcelona’s first loss at home since Camp Nou reopened in November 2025, and it was also Simeone’s first-ever win at the stadium as Atletico boss after 14 years in charge. Atletico hadn’t won there since 2006, so this was a huge step toward the one trophy they still desperately want.