Barcelona Files UEFA Complaint After 2-0 Loss to Atletico

Barcelona suffered a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday at Camp Nou, prompting the Catalan club to file a formal complaint with UEFA over controversial refereeing decisions that they believe altered the match's outcome.

The game shifted dramatically before halftime when Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi received a red card in the 44th minute for fouling Atletico's Giuliano Simeone as the last defender. Referee Istvan Kovacs initially issued a yellow card, but upgraded it to a sending-off following a Video Assistant Referee review. From the resulting free kick, Atletico's Julian Alvarez curled a 25-yard effort into the top corner, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead and silencing the home crowd.

The most contentious moment came in the 54th minute, with Atletico leading and Barcelona already down to 10 men. Goalkeeper Juan Musso took a goal kick, passing the ball short to defender Marc Pubill, who was on a yellow card. Pubill handled the ball inside his own penalty area, apparently believing play had not yet resumed, before rolling it back to Musso, who continued. Barcelona players immediately appealed for a penalty and...