Fans claim Barcelona were “robbed” after Lamine Yamal’s ghost goal was disallowed against Real Madrid on Sunday, but beIN Sports believe they have proven he didn’t cross the line.
Yamal thought he had put Barça ahead 2-1 when he apparently launched the ball after a corner, but Andriy Lunin pushed the ball away and the referee signaled for play to continue.
VAR was unable to confirm whether it had crossed the line with only two angles available and LaLiga president Javier Tebas has since tried to defend the division’s lack of goal-line technology.
With Real Madrid leading 3-2 thanks to a late goal from Jude Bellingham, the controversy has become a flashpoint.
Qatar’s state broadcaster beIN Sports recreated the ghost goal and its footage appears to show that a slide of the ball had not crossed the line.
Lamine Yamal’s ghost goal against Real Madrid was not awarded and fans believe that he and Barcelona were ‘robbed’
His shot appeared to have crossed the line but was missed. LaLiga does not have goal line technology and the VAR did not award a goal
As seen in the image above left, a slide of the ball did not cross the line according to beIN Sports
Social media commentators believe Barcelona had a goal “stolen” when they lost
However, this has not stopped the outrage and fans believe that Barcelona was ‘robbed’. Additionally, new angles have emerged that appear to show the ball crossing the line.
‘BEING NEUTRAL, BARCELONA HAS BEEN ROBBED!’ wrote one person on X, formerly Twitter.
“If we’re honest, they robbed Barcelona in that game,” another chimed in.
‘BARCELONA IS BEING ROBBED IN FRONT OF MILLIONS OF SPECTATORS!’ one wrote.
“In Barcelona they stole 3 times, this is not fair,” said another.
“Some things will never change. Barcelona was robbed at home and away and in that Super Cup final,” wrote another.
Yamal, 16 years old, would have been the youngest scorer in the history of a Classic if his effort had been given.
Andreas Christensen had given Barça the lead at the Bernabéu before Vinicius Júnior equalized from a penalty.
The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, supports the lack of technology on the goal line in the League
A new angle emerged where Yamal’s shot (below left) appeared to have crossed the line, with Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin shoveling the ball away.
The goal not conceded by Yamal meant that the match remained 1-1 until the 69th minute, when Fermín López put Xavi’s team ahead.
But Madrid rallied, with Lucas Vásquez restoring parity four minutes later and Bellingham cruelly sealing three points with a 91st-minute winner.
The title race is almost over, with Madrid 11 points ahead of Barcelona with six games remaining. If Barça had won, that difference would have been five points.
LaLiga’s stance on goal-line technology is different to that of the Premier League, which has the technology to resolve these types of incidents in seconds and referees receive a signal on their watch that tells them if the ball has crossed the line or not.
Spanish media El Larguero reported that La Liga president Javier Tebas does not want to pay the 2.6 million pounds that the technology costs.
Fans couldn’t believe Yamal’s goal wasn’t a goal but Tebas quickly defended their league’s lack of technology.
The LaLiga president published a series of articles about moments where goal-line technology has made mistakes, including an infamous ghost goal in Sheffield United’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa in 2020.
Tebas wrote ‘no comments’ next to the images in X, in a clear response to the criticism.
Jude Bellingham scored the winning goal in added time to virtually secure the LaLiga title
Barcelona manager Xavi became furious afterwards, stating that “the referee did not make a single correct decision.”
Meanwhile, Barcelona coach Xavi fumed at the perception of further refereeing injustice after Lamal’s ghost goal.
“I’m not going to say anything about the referee because I’ll be penalized if I do, but it was there for everyone to see,” he said. “Tonight we were the better team and we deserved to win.
‘The referee did not make a correct decision. It is a shame and we must not remain silent.
“I was hoping the referee would go unnoticed or get his decisions right, but it was neither of those things.”