'Not worth going down that road' - Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny urges players & fans to end campaign against 'Madridista' referee Szymon Marciniak after agonising Champions League exit to Inter

Barcelona were knocked out in a hectic end to their semi-final tie, losing 4-3 in the second-leg on Tuesday as Inter prevailed 7-6 on aggregate. Coach Hansi Flick and midfielder Pedri complained about the referee following some contentious decisions by the official, with the latter suggesting UEFA "look into" him.

Szczesny was also quizzed on the referee's performance, but he chose not to linger on the issue as he warned against getting caught up in conspiracy theories amid claims by the Catalan media that Marciniak is a Real Madrid fan.

He told Canal+: "I know that in the event of a defeat, people usually talk about the referee's performance, but I don't intend to dwell on that. There's no need to make excuses. Things will be discussed, but it's not worth going down that road."

One incident saw a penalty given to Inter for a Pau Cubarsi foul, which Hakan Calhanoglu converted before half-time. VAR intervened to award a spot-kick, and Szczesny felt it was an unfair call. He added: "It was close and, honestly, I thought there was no penalty at all, but apparently it seems that Pau didn't touch the ball so a penalty was called. It was a quick action and it was decided like that. There's nothing more to say."

While Barca are out of the Champions League, they can still clinch the domestic double by winning La Liga. They are four points clear of Madrid with four matches left to play ahead of this weekend's Clasico clash with their fierce rivals.