Flick Reflects on Barcelona’s Defeat to Girona Amid Officiating Controversy

omidbasir- Hansi Flick expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating in the lead-up to Girona’s decisive goal, yet he declined to use this as an excuse following Barcelona’s unexpected 2-1 defeat at Montilivi on Monday.

Fran Beltrán scored the winning goal in the 86th minute, after Thomas Lemar had equalized following Pau Cubarsí’s opener. However, Barcelona felt a foul by Claudio Echeverri on Jules Koundé preceded Beltrán’s goal.

Despite the controversial moment, Flick emphasized that Girona deserved their victory. “I don’t want to dwell on that,” he stated when asked if he believed Beltrán’s goal should have been disallowed. “Everyone witnessed the incident before the second goal, but Girona earned the win. Our defensive performance was subpar, particularly during transitions; we were too exposed, and our midfield positioning was inadequate.

“While the foul was indeed clear, it is what it is. I might have discussed it further if our performance had been better, but we did not play well enough. It might come off as making excuses, which I do not want to do. We must elevate our game.”

This loss follows a formal complaint lodged by Barcelona with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Refereeing Committee (CTA) regarding perceived inconsistencies in officiating standards, particularly after Cubarsí’s disallowed goal against Atlético Madrid last week.

Despite the contentious officiating, Flick refrained from heavy criticism, even humorously noting that his players matched the referees’ level of performance. “No complaints, no excuses,” he asserted when questioned about the officials. “They are doing their job. At times, it may not be executed well, but our performance mirrored that level, so it was perhaps not a good standard overall.”

The defeat to Girona marked a difficult week for Barcelona, which had suffered a 4-0 loss to Atlético in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal on Thursday. Although they initially took the lead at Montilivi with Cubarsí’s goal early in the second half, after Lamine Yamal missed a penalty just before halftime, Girona rallied back to secure the win.

Flick acknowledged the team’s struggles, stating, “We are not in a good moment. I will grant the team two days off now; rest is essential. The players are genuinely fatigued. With better control and fewer mistakes, today’s outcome could have been different. We had chances in the first half, including the penalty, but sometimes it just does not go your way.

“Fatigue may play a role, but we must maintain a competitive spirit. After our loss to Atlético, winning today was crucial, and we failed to achieve that.

“Everyone is disappointed, but we will continue to fight. We have a two-week window without midweek matches, which provides us the opportunity to regroup. We will train effectively and prepare for Sunday’s match against Levante at Spotify Camp Nou. Our focus now is to contest for the top position in the standings.”