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Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman was branded a “crybaby” by Sevilla director of football Monchi during Saturday’s La Liga clash between the two sides at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Tempers flared during the end of the first half when Monchi, who was watching the game from the stands, claimed Barcelona captain Lionel Messi should had been awarded a second yellow card for a foul on Jules Koundé.
Referee Hernández Hernánde did not punish the Argentine, leading an angry Monchi to shout, “the crybaby’s statements have taken effect.” Koeman heard the comments and reacted with a sarcastic thumbs-up, according to Roger Torello at Mundo Deportivo.
Barca went on to win the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele and Messi, but the two teams are due to meet again for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday at the Camp Nou.
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Barcelona’s Sevilla Complaints
It’s not entirely clear what Monchi is referring to, but it’s worth noting Barcelona were left frustrated by the officiating when they lost 2-0 to Sevilla in the first leg of their Copa del Rey clash.
The Catalan giants felt they should have been awarded a penalty after Jordi Alba tangled with Suso and went down in the penalty area. The club even posted a video on social media to show why they disagreed with referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz’s decision to award a free-kick on the edge of the box instead.
Koeman spoke about the decision not to award the penalty after the match and made it clear he felt his side had been hard done by, as reported by Sport.
It wasn’t my decision to publish the video on Twitter. But for me it’s a penalty. The referee said it was a foul but outside the box. And everyone saw that it was inside. I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t step in. It’s not that complicated for me, but that’s it now. Mistakes can be made, no problem, we have to look forward.
Goals from Kounde and former Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic handed Sevilla the win which has put them in charge of the tie ahead of the return at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona and Sevilla Meet Again
Wednesday’s match between the two sides will be their third meeting in less than a month and there’s a lot at stake. The Copa del Rey still looks both teams’ best chance of winning a trophy season.
Barca’s are second in the table but five points behind Atletico, who have a game in hand, while Sevilla are now a distant 10 points off the top.
Both teams remain in the Champions League but were beaten in the first leg of their last-16 ties. Barca went down 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain and play the return in the French capital. Sevilla suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.
Barca will head into the match with renewed confidence and belief after Saturday’s win but needing to score at least three to go through which should make for an intriguing encounter.
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