Atletico Madrid players accepted Barcelona deserved their 2-1 victory at the Metropolitano, but expressed frustration privately over what they considered inconsistent refereeing by Javier Alberola Rojas.
The Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo reported that Atletico did not use the officials’ decisions as an excuse for losing. However, players raised concerns behind closed doors about what they saw as different standards being applied to fouls, protests and the issuing of yellow cards.
Their main grievance centred on the first half, when Alberola Rojas showed Barcelona players only one yellow card. Atletico’s players believed there were several other incidents that should also have resulted in cautions.
Those incidents included Raphinha’s challenge on Koke, a number of occasions involving holding, and protests from Barcelona players which Atletico felt the referee dealt with too leniently.
The figures added to their sense of unequal treatment. Both sides committed 14 fouls, but Atletico received three yellow cards compared with one for Barcelona.
Despite those concerns, Atletico manager Diego Simeone and his players offered no excuses for the result. Simeone described the outcome as fair, pointing to Barcelona’s two goals compared with Atletico’s one.
Koke attributed the defeat to Atletico’s lack of attacking effectiveness, while Baena warned that the team would not achieve its objectives unless it produced its best performances on the pitch.
The refereeing decisions nevertheless remained a significant topic of discussion among Atletico’s players after the match, particularly the difference in the number of bookings during the opening 45 minutes.
Barcelona’s next listed La Liga fixture is against Villarreal on 22 November 2026, while Getafe are listed to face Atletico Madrid in La Liga on the same date.
