‘The result is Unfair’ – Xavi believes the referee is responsible for the loss to Inter Milan as Barcelona now in danger of Europa League football again.
Barcelona suffered a 0-1 loss away to Inter Milan in a matchday three Champions League group stage fixture played on Tuesday, October 4, 2022.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored the only goal of the game from a ball by Federico Dimarco as Inter Milan held on for three points at the San Siro.
The result means that Barcelona are now third on the standings behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
After failure in the group stage last season, Barcelona now must win the return leg against Inter Milan at the Camp Nou to control their hopes of advancing to the knock stages.
Xavi on Barcelona’s loss to Inter Milan
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez stated before the game that they will fight with Inter Milan to finish second in the group to Bayern Munich.
The result puts Barcelona in danger of dropping to the Europa League just as they did last season.
Barcelona have filed a petition against the officiating crew responsible for several decisions that influenced the result.
Pedri had the ball in the back of the net but was ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) showing Ansu Fati handled the ball in the build-up.
A cross by Dembele connected with the hand of Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries and Barcelona fans believe that they should have been awarded a penalty.
Speaking to the press after the match, Xavi stated that the result was not acceptable blaming the officials for missing key decisions.
He said, « I’m angry & I believe the result is UNFAIR, that’s why yesterday I said the referees should go out and speak to the media.
« I asked for explanations after the match but he refused to give me any explanations. »
« To be honest, I can’t hide anymore. This is a massive injustice. Referees are extremely important in this sport, and he needs to come out and explain himself because this is unbelievable. »
Barcelona now return to prepare for the second leg against Inter Milan at the Camp Nou but first take on Celta Vigo in their next La Liga fixture scheduled for Sunday, October 9, 2022.
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