Xavi felt that his side should have been awarded a spot-kick after contact on his Brazilian winger in second half stoppage time.
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Barca had a penalty shout waved off in second half stoppage time after Raphinha went down inside the box. There appeared to be some contact with a Rayo defender, but VAR did not intervene to overturn the decision.
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WHAT XAVI SAID
In a post-match press conference, the Barca manager questioned the official’s decision not to award his team what could have been a decisive spot-kick: “Then I’m told I’m looking for excuses, but the foul on Raphinha is a clear penalty. It happened to us in Getafe, in Granada and today. We lost because we weren’t good in the first half, and that’s no excuse, but it’s a clear penalty.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The decisive moment came after a late onslaught from Xavi’s side, who created a number of chances in the dying minutes after starting the game poorly. The draw leaves them three points off the top — a deficit that could increase to six points by Monday evening.
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BARCA
The Blaugrana next play on Tuesday, when they take on Porto in what will likely be a decisive contest in their hopes to get out of their Champions League group for the first time in three years.
