Xavi Hernández was the face of Barcelona in a press conference. The Barça coach, visibly upset after Real Madrid’s undeserved victory at Santiago Bernabéu, directly blamed referee César Soto Grado for the defeat:
“We tried everything, we played well, and specific mistakes cost us the victory. We deserved to win, but the referee didn’t get a single decision right. It’s shameful, and we should not stay silent. I feel a great injustice; I can’t lie to anyone, especially not to the fans. Everyone saw it,” he lamented about the refereeing, according to Sport.
“Before the game, you asked about him, and I hoped he would go unnoticed and make the right calls. Neither happened. I am very disappointed, especially since LaLiga claims it wants to be the best in the world yet doesn’t have goal-line technology… On the first matchday in Getafe, I already mentioned I didn’t like what I was seeing; today is just the culmination of these issues,” Xavi bitterly complained about Soto Grado’s decision not to validate Lamine Yamal’s goal, which had crossed Lunin’s goal line.
Beyond the refereeing, Xavi also made clear that the two direct confrontations against Real Madrid, which ended in Madrid’s victory in stoppage time both in the first and second halves of the season, will determine the final outcome of LaLiga.
“We made specific errors after the 1-2, it’s the same story as the first half of the season. Two games we deserved to win and lost. Today is a contradiction; we should be proud of how we competed, we controlled the game well, and it’s a shame for all the work we’ve done. It’s regrettable because we deserved more, we created many chances, but some things are beyond our control,” he emphasized, recalling the refereeing.
Finally, in a tone of resignation, the Barça coach stated that they will not give up, but he nearly conceded LaLiga with 18 points still to play and eleven points behind Real Madrid: “Madrid has lost only one game; they’ve almost clinched the title, but we will keep trying to score points even though it’s very difficult.”
