Barcelona coach Hansi Flick slammed the “wrong decision” by VAR to disallow Robert Lewandowski’s goal for offside.
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Flick criticizes the wrong VAR decision
The decision to disallow Lewandowski’s goal led to Barca’s 1-0 LaLiga loss to Real Sociedad.
Lewandowski thought he had scored in the 14th minute, but semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) determined the striker’s toe was marginally ahead of defender Nayef Aguerd’s foot.
Sociedad secured the win at their home stadium Anoeta with a strike from Sheraldo Becker.
The loss marked the first time this season that Flick’s side failed to find the net in a game.
“It was the wrong decision, clear,” Flick told Barça One after the match. “I saw the picture. It’s clear, it’s clear, but we have to accept it.
“It was not the referee’s fault. At the end of the day, we are humans, we make mistakes, and today was a big mistake.”
Flick accepts defeat
SAOT was introduced in Spain at the start of the season, though it is not yet used universally across Europe.
Italy’s Serie A was the first major league to implement SAOT.
Flick downplayed his half-time discussion with the referee, saying he was not entirely “angry” at that moment.
“It was not so angry,” he said. “I said only to him ‘It was a goal, it was wrong decision, it was not offside.'”
“But it was not his fault. We have to accept it. Until there, with the 1-0 for us, it would be a different match. But at the end, it was different and it was not our day.”
Nonetheless, Flick accepted his side’s defeat, acknowledging the end of their seven-game winning streak across all competitions.
“At the end, it’s a defeat, but the matches before and after the last break were fantastic. I really appreciate the team and how they are doing.”
The defeat to La Real sees Barcelona’s lead at the top of LaLiga cut to six points.
They return to action after the international break against Celta Vigo on November 23.
