'Thank goodness!' - Barcelona fans rage over suspicious VAR audio during decision to disallow Fermin Lopez goal in Clasico thriller with Real Madrid

In a thrilling Clasico showdown on Sunday, Barcelona managed to edge past Real Madrid with a dramatic 4-3 victory. Late in the match, Fermin Lopez appeared to have scored a brilliant solo goal to make it 5-3, only for VAR to disallow it due to a handball. Leaked audio from the VAR room, where an official allegedly said "thank goodness", has sparked widespread accusations of favouritism and bias among supporters.

Barcelona's victory took them ever closer to the La Liga title, marking their fourth win in four matches over Real Madrid this season. Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick proved to be in vain, with strikes from Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha (two) turning the game on its head. However, the disallowed goal and leaked audio have somewhat overshadowed result, raising concerns over VAR's transparency and impartiality in crucial matches.

During the VAR review, referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez was called over by official Juan Martinez Munuera. Munuera said: "Listen to me, Alex. We just detected a hand, okay? Come see it, please."

While the referee was analysing the footage, an unidentified voice apparently remarked: "With the height, thank goodness. Yes, yes, absolutely." Hernandez then confirmed: "Okay, perfect. Go ahead, it hits his hand, yes. The ball is going to go out and now give me a wide one so I can see the whole action, see how it ends. Okay, perfect, the hand is clearly up. I’m going to cancel the goal."

The entire conversation was released after the match, but notably, the "thank goodness" comment was not included in the official subtitles provided by the RFEF.

Barcelona could look to launch a protest over the incident, but it appears unlikely given Lopez's disallowed goal didn't affect the result - or their charge towards the title. Hansi Flick's side now need just three points from their final three matches to clinch top spot, with a trip to local rivals Espanyol next up on Thursday evening.