Barcelona's Raphinha raises voice against officials after Girona defeat

Madrid [Spain], February 19: FC Barcelona's Brazilian midfielder Raphinha has strongly criticized officials following his side's 2-1 defeat in Girona on Monday night, which saw them surrender leadership of La Liga to Real Madrid.Although Pau Cubarsi put Barcelona ahead just before the hour, Girona fought back with goals from Thomas Lemar and Fran Beltram who secured the win in the 86th minute with a low shot from outside the penalty area.Barcelona's players complained about two incidents in the game: Lamine Yamal's first half penalty, which rebounded off the post. TV replays showed it should have been retaken due to two Girona players encroaching in the penalty area. Also, in the build-up to Beltran's goal, Caludio Echeverri caught Jules Kounde with his studs after winning the ball, but the VAR did not intervene.The result was a fair reflection of what happened on the pitch, with Girona creating plenty of chances and in a post on Instagram, Raphinha admitted the team had "a lot of things to improve."However, he also criticized officials, adding "but it's not just us who need to improve. It is very complicated when rules are different if they go your way or against you, but if we have to play against everyone to win, no problem. That's what we will do."Barcelona's next game is on Sunday at home to Levante, who sits second from bottom of La Liga.Source: Times of Oman