Getty Sergio Busquets during Barcelona vs Inter.
Barcelona were beaten 1-0 by Serie A side Inter on Tuesday, October 4 in the Champions League at the San Siro in a match that was packed full of controversial incidents.
Manager Xavi raged at the match officials following the final whistle, complaining about the referee’s decision to disallow an equalizer from Pedri and fail to award a penalty late on for a handball against Denzel Dumfries.
Supporters were also furious with the decision not to send off goalscorer Hakan Çalhanoğlu for a poor challenge on Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets. Çalhanoğlu was only shown a yellow card for the tackle shown below.
The decision did not go down at all well with fans who protested on social media about the “criminal tackle” and the other key decisions that went against the Catalan giants during the match.
Image: Çalhanoğlu’s criminal tackle on Busquets.
that should be a red for Calhanoglu.
@Barca_Buzz Clear penalty. Plus Calhanoglu should have got red for that tackle on Busquets
Tuesday’s result leaves Barcelona in trouble in Group C at the mid-way stage. Xavi’s side have just three points from their first three games and have lost their last two matches in the competition.
Bayern Munich lead the way on nine points and are three ahead of Inter. Barcelona and Inter meet again at the Camp Nou next week in a fixture the hosts must take something from if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.
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Eric Garcia Unhappy With Defeat
Barcelona center-back Eric Garcia spoke out after the match and made it clear how annoyed he was to side his team beaten again in the Champions League, as reported by UEFA.
“We are very unhappy with the result,” he said. “We started well here, moving play nicely from one wing to the other. The fact that we conceded immediately before the break is very hard to take.”
Barcelona ended the game with 71% possession but just two shots on goal during the 90 minutes. Xavi will know his side must improve in attack if they are to defeat Inter when the teams meet again.
More Problems For Barcelona
Xavi also has more injury problems ahead of the game. Center-back Andreas Christensen was forced off during the match with an ankle injury and joins Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde on the sidelines.
Barcelona offered an update on the Denmark international after the match.
“Andreas Christensen has a ligament sprain in his left ankle,” read a club statement. “Further tests will be carried out tomorrow to find out the exact extent of the injury.”
The summer signing could be out for three weeks, according to Diario AS reporter Javi Miguel, and his absence will leave Barcelona short of options at center-back ahead of a busy week. The Catalans take on Celta, Inter and Real Madrid next week and have only Eric Garcia and Gerard Pique fit and available.
Barcelona have only conceded one goal in seven games so far in La Liga, and moved top at the weekend after beating Real Mallorca, but the strength in depth of Xavi’s squad will be tested in the coming weeks.
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Barcelona Fans Rage at ‘Criminal Tackle’ in UCL Clash [LOOK]