A disallowed goal for Barcelona is causing uproar after the lost Clásico against Real Madrid. Marc-André ter Stegen laments the lack of goal-line technology, while his coach sees it as “the utmost injustice.”
German national team goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen criticized the lack of goal-line technology in Spain after a goal by Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal was not awarded in the Clásico.
“It’s a disgrace for football. Other leagues have it. So much money moves in this world, and there is no money for what’s important,” ter Stegen said, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine, after FC Barcelona’s 3-2 loss in the top match at arch-rival and league leader Real Madrid on Sunday.
The 16-year-old Yamal scored a potential goal for the Catalans when the score was 1-1. However, it could not be definitively proven whether the ball had fully crossed the goal line. Ter Stegen stated that it was not the referee’s fault.
“Utmost Injustice”
With the loss – the winning goal for Real was scored by former Dortmund player Jude Bellingham in injury time – Barca is now eleven points behind Real, with little chance of defending their league title. Just last Tuesday, Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League quarterfinals by Paris Saint-Germain.
As a result, the success-accustomed Catalans will likely end this season without any titles. “If you don’t win a title at the end, we are disappointed – especially with ourselves. Ultimately, we are the ones who failed in crucial moments,” said the former Borussia Mönchengladbach player, ter Stegen.
Barca coach Xavi, meanwhile, spoke of the “utmost injustice.” His team deserved the three points against Real. “Everyone saw the referee’s performance. They can penalize me, but the footage is there for everyone to see,” said the former Barcelona player, who had vehemently complained about the referee against PSG earlier in the week and received a red card during the game.
La Liga President Javier Tebas responded that same evening, sharing on the platform X (formerly Twitter) screenshots of press articles dealing with erroneous decisions by goal-line technology in Germany, England, and France. He wrote: “No comment…”
Lewandowski’s Poor Performance
Just days after the Champions League exit against Paris, Barcelona took an early lead through Andreas Christensen (6th minute) who capitalized on a mistake by Real keeper Andrej Lunin with a header. Vinicius Junior equalized with a penalty in the 18th minute.
In the injury time of the first half, FC Barcelona, with ter Stegen and German captain Ilkay Gündogan in the starting lineup, lost midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The Dutch player was stretchered off after injuring his ankle in a challenge with Valverde.
Former Bundesliga striker Robert Lewandowski had a weak game. The Pole was replaced by Pedri in the 64th minute. Shortly after, the also substituted Fermin (69th) put Barcelona ahead again.
The joy did not last long, however, as Real struck back: Lucas Vazquez (73rd) gave the strong goalkeeper ter Stegen no chance with a direct shot. And just when it looked like a draw, Jude Bellingham struck and scored his 17th goal in the Spanish league.
