Ronald Koeman was discontent with the refereeing in Tuesday’s loss with Juventus and let Tobias Stieler know it after the game. In a video captured by Spanish TV Show El Partidazo de Movistar, he can be seen and heard approaching the official while heading to the locker room and saying: “You have good friends in Italy”.
Juventus benefited from two penalty kicks, both converted by Cristiano Ronaldo, in Tuesday’s surprising rout, which allowed the Bianconeri to snatch the top spot despite the 0-2 loss at home back in October. The first call was prompted by a shoulder-to-shoulder contact between Ronaldo Ronald Araujo and Cristiano Ronaldo, which the referee deemed excessive. The second PK was instead awarded for a clear handball by Clement Lenglet. The foul was not noticed on the pitch but the VAR spotted it and rectified the decision.
Juventus had another penalty claim in the first half as Miralem Pjanic had a close call on a low-driven cross. Besides complaining with Stieler, the Barcelona manager also had a squabble with the Juventus bench, Paulo Dybala, Manolo Portanova and Carlo Pinsoglio in particular, as the Bianconeri were asking for Lenglet to be booked again on the second penalty kick. Koeman followed it up in the post-game, saying that the opponents lacked fair-play on that occasion.