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BARCELONA FUME OVER 'UNFAIR' DECISION AS THEY POINT FINGER AT THE REFEREE FOR INTER DEFEAT

Barcelona stars Pedri and Eric Garcia and manager Hansi Flick took aim at referee Szymon Marciniak after feeling aggrieved at some decisions in their 4-3 extra-time defeat by Inter Milan

Referee Szymon Marciniak wasn't a popular man with Barcelona players(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Barcelona pointed the finger at referee Szymon Marciniak after losing their Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter Milan in the most dramatic of circumstances. Barca appeared to be going through to the final after Raphinha's 87th-minute goal put them 3-2 up on the night, only to capitulate as Inter roared back.

Veteran defender Francesco Acerbi popped up in centre-forward position to turn in Denzel Dumfries' cross in the 93rd minute to level the scores at 3-3 on the night and 6-6 on aggregate and send the tie to extra time.

Davide Frattesi then turned match-winner, picking out the bottom corner with a cool finish, while Yann Sommer produced some stunning saves to preserve the lead.

It was a wonderful, see-sawing match packed full of goals and incidents and Marciniak had some important calls to make. He awarded Inter a penalty for a foul by Pau Cubarsi on Lautaro Martinez after VAR sent him to the pitchside monitor and later turned a Barca spot-kick into a free-kick after VAR decided Henrikh Mkhitaryan's foul on Lamine Yamal was outside the box.

Barca also felt aggrieved at Inter's late equaliser, believing Dumfries had fouled Gerard Martin in the build-up. Manager Hansi Flick and substitute Pau Victor were booked for their protestations in a feisty atmosphere on the touchline and experienced Polish official Marciniak was on the receiving end of some barbs post-match too.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened to us with this referee, and I think UEFA should look into it. There are things that are hard to explain," Barca midfielder Pedri told El Partidazo de Cope.

“There were many situations. Every 50/50 went their way, and on the penalty on Lamine, which was later called a free-kick, he didn’t give Mkhitaryan a yellow card, which would’ve been his second.”

Lautaro Martinez won a penalty for Pau Cubarsi's tackle in the first half(Image: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)

Eric Garcia also took aim Marciniak in an interview with Movistar Plus. "Football has been cruel to us," he said. "I have come to Inter Milan's stadium three times and things always happen that are beyond our control. We all know what happened with this referee when we came here last time. But it's no excuse, they have scored six goals against us."

Flick followed the lead of his players in his press conference. "I don't want to talk too much about the referee, but every decision that was 50-50 went (Inter's) way," he said.

Hansi Flick was booked for his protestations after Inter's late equaliser (Image: Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

"I am disappointed, but not with my team. They tried everything. It's the way it is. We are out, but next year we will try again to make the fans happy.

"It makes me sad... My team did an excellent job. I don't like talking about the referee... I've told him what I think, but I'm not going to say it here what I've said."

Turning his attention to La Liga, he added: "Each player, when they get home, can look in the mirror and be proud of themselves. We'll analyse the game calmly and see what we can do."

- Felix Keith

BARCELONA FIGHTS BACK FOR DRAW AGAINST INTER IN SENSATIONAL FIRST-LEG MATCH

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal moves between two Inter players during their match in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday. | REUTERS

Barcelona and Inter Milan played to a compelling 3-3 draw in a high-octane Champions League semifinal first-leg clash on Wednesday, with teenage star Lamine Yamal shining bright.

The Italian side raced to a two-goal lead with superb strikes from Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries, before the unstoppable Yamal pulled Barca back into it with a sublime solo effort.

Ferran Torres evened the score for the five-time champion, and although Inter nosed ahead through Dumfries again, a Yann Sommer own goal left the tie on a knife-edge at the halfway stage.

"Letting in that many goals (here) is unacceptable, but we also have to give Inter credit, they did very well," said Barca's Raphinha, whose fierce drive forced the own goal.

"The important thing is we leave with a result where everything can happen."

Despite losing three domestic games in a row and seeing its treble hopes crumble, Inter showed resilience and quality in Catalonia.

"After three defeats in a row we saw the real Inter tonight, we played with heart and I'm proud," Dumfries told Amazon Prime Video.

Inter was desperately hoping Thuram would be fit to play after a thigh injury, and he showed precisely why, scoring the fastest ever Champions League semifinal goal after 30 seconds.

Dumfries aimed a low cross towards Thuram and Inigo Martinez slipped at just the wrong time, allowing the France striker room to finish with an impudent back-heel flick.

Quadruple-chasing Barcelona seized control and pushed forward, roared on by the nervous Olympic stadium crowd.

Yamal, in his 100th Barcelona appearance, was leading the charge.

Inter scored its second against the run of play. Francesco Acerbi nodded on a corner and Dumfries reached the dropping ball first to score with a stunning acrobatic effort for the 2023 runner-up.

Barcelona teams over the past few years may have crumbled, but Hansi Flick's youthful side is not burdened by the series of European failures since the club's last title in 2015.

Least of all teenage wizard Yamal, who pulled Barcelona back into the game just three minutes later with a wonderful individual goal that made him the youngest player ever to score in the semis.

On the eve of the game, the Spaniard rejected comparisons to all-time Barca great Lionel Messi, but his goal was straight from the Argentine's playbook.

Yamal shook off Thuram, floated inside from the right flank and past Henrikh Mkhitaryan into the box, drawing defenders towards him, but before they could stop him, he stroked a perfect shot in off the left post.

Yamal nearly repeated the trick minutes later. This time he darted outside, pausing to let Federico Dimarco lunge past him and off the pitch.

The youngster flashed a shot from a tight angle that Sommer tipped onto the crossbar.

"Yamal is a phenomenon of the kind born every 50 years," Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said.

Barca pulled level when Pedri hooked a ball into the area for Raphinha to head across goal and Torres to convert from close range after 38 breathless minutes.

Kounde limped off before halftime in a blow for Barca, while Inter captain Lautaro Martinez also came off hurt. Inzaghi said he "doubts" if he will be ready for the return.

Inter took the sting out of the game early in the second half and then sucker-punched Barca, scoring from another corner, with Dumfries' header bouncing in off Dani Olmo.

Barcelona equalized within two minutes, with Yamal stepping over a corner on the edge of the box, allowing it to run to Raphinha.

The Brazilian's rasping effort smashed against the crossbar and then in, off the back of the unfortunate diving Sommer's head.

Inter's Mkhitaryan had a goal ruled out for an extremely tight offside, later saying he would think about it "maybe for the rest of my life," and Yamal hit the bar again as the sides could not be separated.

"We will have our chance (in Milan)," said Flick. "This is our goal, we will fight for it."

The second leg takes place next Tuesday, with the winner to face Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal on May 31 in the Munich final.

- AFP-JIJI

VAR REVIEW: WAS KANE'S PENALTY FOR ENGLAND CORRECT CALL?

We're analysing every VAR decision made throughout all 51 games at Euro 2024. On Wednesday, England were awarded a penalty against Netherlands for a challenge by Denzel Dumfries on Harry Kane. Why was it given, and was it the correct decision?

After each game, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process in terms of VAR protocol and the laws of the game.

Netherlands 1-2 England

Possible penalty: Dumfries challenge on Kane

What happened: England were on the attack in the 14th minute with Harry Kane attempting a shot from a bouncing ball that was hit over the bar. He was caught by Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries after releasing the shot, and went down in pain. Referee Felix Zwayer pointed for a goal kick, but after a few moments it became clear the VAR was checking for a possible penalty.

VAR decision: Penalty, scored by Kane.

Denzel Dumfries catches Harry Kane after the England striker had released his shot. Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

VAR review: There's an unwritten law in football that if a player manages to complete a shot on goal and is then caught by a defending player, there shouldn't be a penalty. So why is that? Mainly it's because the attacking team cannot lose out on anything because of the challenge -- the shot has been released and the move is over.

It's seems odd, because often in this situation we'd say "but that's a foul anywhere else on the pitch." But make no mistake, there's another unwritten law that the threshold is far higher on a penalty providing a shot on goal vs. a free kick in an area that isn't immediately dangerous.

So, how did England get a penalty in this situation?

It's a very harsh intervention by the VAR, Bastian Dankert. It's his ninth game of the tournament, far more than any other video assistant. He has clearly earned a reputation within UEFA as its most trusted VAR throughout the tournament.

So, why has Dankert advised a penalty? He has taken the nature of Dumfries' challenge, leading with the studs as opposed to making an attempt to kick through the ball, as being reckless -- which is why the Netherlands' player was booked. And that's the one area where a defender catching an attacker after a shot can be seeing as a penalty -- when it's reckless or dangerous.

Can you see why this might be a penalty? Yes. Does this reach UEFA's high threshold for a clear and obvious error for a VAR intervention? No. You can only think Kane's reaction, going down in pain, persuaded the VAR.

And in UEFA competition you will almost never see a VAR intervention rejected at the monitor by the referee.

- Dale Johnson, General Editor, ESPN FC