Atlético Madrid - Barcelona saw a pivotal goal by Pau Cubarsí ruled out after an extended VAR review caused by a technical fault in the semi automated offside system, the technical refereeing committee explained.
The committee confirmed, as reported by Marca, that the system failed to model players with skeletal tracking when the camera detected a high density of players in the shot area.
Officials attempted to recalibrate the system and, after confirming the fault, followed protocol and drew the offside lines manually to reach the correct decision, the committee said.
The manual process led to an exceptional extension of the review, about seven minutes according to reports, and prevented the recreated image from being sent to the television broadcast, the committee added.
That delay forced players to warm up and touch the ball to stay ready while the VAR team completed its analysis, and the eventual lines showed Cubarsí marginally ahead when the ball struck Robert Lewandowski, cancelling the goal.
Cards Controversy And Squad Absences
The first leg produced further contentious moments, with several bookings and a later dismissal shaping the game, commentators and a referee analyst noted.
Casadó received a yellow near the halfway line for a challenge on Giuliano, with Nelson Vivas also booked, and Iturralde González said Martínez Munuera’s decision could be seen as correct depending on interpretation.
Iturralde also defended the yellow shown to Giuliano for a high shin challenge on Balde, saying the studs made contact but the leg was not left rigid, so VAR was not required.
Eric García was initially shown a yellow for a heavy challenge on Baena, but after a VAR review the referee changed the card to red and sent him off, a decision Iturralde described as clearly correct.
The match headline score reflected Atlético’s clear advantage, and Barcelona also travelled to the tie without two key wide players, Hansi Flick forced to reshuffle his forward line due to injuries.
Raphinha remained out while yet to return to training with a thigh injury, and Marcus Rashford missed the trip after a knee problem that forced his withdrawal just after the hour mark in the Mallorca match, the club confirmed.
In midfield, Frenkie de Jong was expected to be available, while Gavi and Pedri remained sidelined until the end of the month and Andreas Christensen continued as a long term absentee.
Flick had options to replace the absent wingers, with Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Fermín López, Roony Bardghji and Robert Lewandowski all mentioned as possible attacking solutions.
