MADRID — Diego Simeone expressed his disapproval regarding the contentious decision to reverse Gerard Martín‘s red card during Atlético Madrid‘s 2-1 loss to Barcelona on Saturday.
Giuliano Simeone opened the scoring for Atlético in the first half at the Metropolitano before Marcus Rashford equalized, with Robert Lewandowski netting the decisive goal in the 87th minute to solidify Barça’s position at the top of the LaLiga standings.
Atlético competed with 10 players for half the match following Nico González‘s expulsion. They were denied an opportunity to equalize early in the second half when Martín was sent off for a strong tackle on Thiago Almada, but after a VAR review, his punishment was downgraded to a yellow card.
“There’s not much to say. The incident is straightforward,” Simeone commented in the post-match press conference. “He [Martín] arrives late and steps on [Almada].
“I recall a similar situation from the Betis-Rayo match on February 21, where the referees’ committee said it was a red card… Let’s hope the committee clarifies this later in the week. They made a mistake, just like we coaches do.”
“For anyone with knowledge of football, it’s a red card,” said defender Robin Le Normand. “I’m unsure what transpired. Initially, the referee made the correct call, and then they reviewed it.
“Mistakes happen, but I believe they made a significant error today. These were major details that impacted the outcome of the game.”
Barcelona’s win came on the heels of their rivals Real Madrid suffering a 2-1 defeat to Real Mallorca earlier that same day, granting Barça a seven-point advantage at the summit.
Atlético is set to face Barcelona again on Wednesday in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg, part of a series of three matches between the two teams over a span of ten days.
Simeone opted to rest several key players for the match, including Julián Álvarez and Ademola Lookman.
“We had a very strong first half, with opportunities for both teams, and the squad performed well,” Simeone stated. “Nico González’s red card was warranted; some sendings-off are justified.
“The second half transformed the dynamics of the game. We were unable to attack as effectively as we hoped. Lewandowski’s goal came at the end, following a rebound when we could have equalized.”
“We played excellently in the first half,” said goalkeeper Juan Musso. “The red card had a significant impact on us. Competing with one less player is challenging. I believe Martín’s challenge was a red card… 11 against 11, we were the better side, in my opinion.”