Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and his players were left frustrated and confused by several officiating decisions during their narrow Champions League semi-final defeat to Inter Milan.

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The Spanish giants crashed out of the competition after a dramatic 4-3 loss in the second leg at San Siro, with the Italian side advancing 7-6 on aggregate to reach their second final in three years.

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In the aftermath, both Flick and his squad voiced strong dissatisfaction with Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, accusing him of making multiple questionable calls that influenced the outcome of the game.

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Midfielder Pedri, a standout performer this season, went as far as to call on UEFA to investigate Marciniak’s officiating, reflecting the depth of discontent within the Barcelona camp.

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The match was filled with controversy, particularly around two key VAR interventions. In the first half, Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi was initially believed to have cleanly dispossessed Lautaro Martinez in the box, but VAR overturned the call and awarded Inter a penalty, which Hakan Calhanoglu converted.

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Later in the second half, Barcelona were awarded a penalty after Henrikh Mkhitaryan appeared to foul Lamine Yamal.

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However, after another VAR review, the decision was reversed, with officials determining that the foul occurred just outside the penalty area—despite claims that the contact may have continued into the box.

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The contentious decisions added to the heartbreak for Flick’s side, who now turn their focus to domestic competition after narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

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Flick raised questions over the officiating, claiming that most of the 50-50 calls went against his side. "I know that everyone’s disappointed now that we’re out, but it’s because we invested a lot in this match," the German head coach told reporters after the game.

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"We came back again (into the game), and I think some decisions, like the 50/50, were always for Inter, but it’s like that, we have to accept it. It’s football.

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"I’m proud of my team, we gave everything, and sometimes you feel like it’s unfair because some decisions the referee made were not for our side, but it’s like that. We have to accept it, and we’ll start again next season.

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Winning the Champions League is one of our goals, because the fans deserve it. We’ll be back next season in the Champions League."

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In contrast, Inter boss Simone Inzaghi heaped praise on Marciniak. "That's Barca's opinion, he's one of the best referees in Europe and he had a great match," the Italian told Movistar's Ricardo Sierra (h/t AS).

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