Last night at the Giuseppe Meazza turned into a controversy-laden stage for FC Barcelona, who faced Inter Milan in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal. Despite a promising start, the Catalan side was affected by a highly disputed penalty that tilted the balance in favor of the hosts.
The match became complicated for Hansi Flick's men when, in the 44th minute, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak decided to award a penalty after reviewing a play in VAR. In that action, the Catalan center-back Pau Cubarsí made a clean tackle on Lautaro Martínez, who was in the area, but the referee interpreted that there was a foul. The images showed that Cubarsí touched the ball first, leading to a torrent of protests from the Barça players.
The penalty awarded by Marciniak left the culés in shock.
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The penalty was taken by Turkish player Hakan Çalhanoglu, who did not miss and put the score at 2-0, leaving Barça with a mountain to climb in the second half. This goal came after Lautaro's first goal in the 22nd minute, which capitalized on a mistake by Dani Olmo in midfield to open the scoring.
Despite dominating possession, the culé team failed to convert their chances and went into halftime with a seemingly insurmountable disadvantage. Additionally, in the 25th minute, a possible handball by Acerbi in the Inter area was overlooked by the referee and VAR, increasing frustration on the blaugrana bench.
The situation became even tenser after the Inter's second goal, with a minor scuffle between players reflecting Barça's indignation at the refereeing decisions. The culé fans wondered if the team could overcome not only the rival but also a refereeing that seemed to be against them.
With this scenario, FC Barcelona faces a monumental challenge in the return leg, where they must demonstrate their ability to react and overcome both a strong opponent and the adversities that lie ahead on the road to the Champions final.