Atlético Madrid's players admitted Barcelona deserved their 2-1 win at the Metropolitano, yet a sense of discontent still swept through the home dressing room. The source of it was Javier Alberola Rojas and the decisions he made, which the players felt lacked consistency in how he dealt with fouls and protests, particularly during the first half.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", Atlético's players refused to hide behind the referee to explain the defeat. Behind closed doors, though, they voiced reservations about what they called double standards in awarding fouls and showing yellow cards, convinced Barcelona's players had escaped punishment on several occasions.
Diego Simeone and his players offered no excuses on the technical front. The Atlético head coach called the result fair, pointing to Barcelona scoring twice to his side's one.
Koke blamed the loss on a lack of attacking end product, while Baena warned that the team would fall short of its objectives if it kept failing to produce its best on the pitch.
The refereeing complaints, though, lingered in the players' conversations. Chief among them was the fact that Alberola Rojas showed only one yellow card to Barcelona's players in the first half, despite incidents Atlético felt deserved a caution.
Raphinha's challenge on Koke was one such case. The players also flagged several instances of holding, along with Barcelona's protests, which they believed the referee waved away far too leniently.
Both sides committed 14 fouls apiece. Yet Atlético picked up three yellow cards to Barcelona's one, and that gap only deepened the home players' sense that the punishments had not been handed out evenly.