Refereeing controversy. Atletico defender handles the ball after goalkeeper's pass, but referee turns a blind eye
The match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid was marked by an extremely contentious episode that sparked outrage both in the stands and across social media.
Details: In the 54th minute, with the visitors leading 0-1, a moment occurred that main referee Istvan Kovacs chose to overlook. After the Madrid goalkeeper played the ball from a goal kick, his teammate quite clearly touched the ball with his hand inside the penalty area, effectively stopping its movement.
Most likely, the referee mistakenly believed that the ball had not yet been put into play by the goalkeeper and that the outfield player was about to take the goal kick, although technically the pass had already been made.
The officiating crew did not react to the incident in any way, and play continued as normal.
Reminder: Marcus Rashford beat the Atletico keeper but failed to score into an open net.
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
