VAR denies Barcelona as Rea Sociedad steals the show
Shocking referee blunder costs Barcelona
Barcelona have been denied a vital victory over Real Sociedad after a shocking refereeing error in the first half of their La Liga clash. The match was goalless when Ronald Araujo bundled the ball home for the visitors, only for VAR to intervene and rule it out for a handball by the defender.
Referee Juan MartÃnez Munuera was seen on television cameras admitting his mistake to Barcelona players at half-time, but the decision was not overturned. The error proved costly as Sociedad went on to win the game 1-0 thanks to a goal from Alexander Isak.
VAR under fire again
The incident has once again called the use of VAR into question. The technology was introduced to eliminate clear and obvious errors, but it has often been criticized for its inconsistent application.
In this case, the decision to rule out Araujo's goal was baffling. The handball was unintentional and did not appear to have any impact on the play. The fact that the referee later admitted his mistake only adds to the frustration.
Barcelona left to rue missed opportunity
The defeat leaves Barcelona in fourth place in the La Liga table, four points behind leaders Real Madrid. It is a bitter blow to their title hopes, especially as they have now lost two of their last three games.
Manager Xavi Hernandez was understandably frustrated after the match. He said: "It's a very hard one to take. We played well and deserved to win, but we were denied by a clear mistake from the referee."
What next for Barcelona?
Barcelona will need to pick themselves up quickly as they face a tough run of fixtures in the coming weeks. They travel to Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday, before facing Sevilla and Villarreal in La Liga.
It is a crucial period for Xavi's team. They need to start winning games consistently if they want to challenge for the title this season.
Conclusion
The refereeing error in the Barcelona vs Real Sociedad match has once again highlighted the problems with VAR. The technology is supposed to help the game, but it is often having the opposite effect.
Barcelona will be hoping that this is an isolated incident and that they can get their title challenge back on track in the coming weeks.
