Barcelona manager Hansi Flick lamented a lack of luck following his side’s home defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, insisting the tie remains alive despite the two-goal deficit.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has attributed his team’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat against Atletico Madrid to a combination of defensive lapses and a lack of fortune. Speaking after the encounter at Camp Nou on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Flick watched as goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sørloth secured a vital advantage for Diego Simeone’s side. The match turned sharply following a red card issued to the hosts, which subsequently led to a set-piece goal that Flick admitted his side should have handled more effectively. Despite the numerical disadvantage for a significant portion of the match, the German tactician maintained that the performance of his players deserved a better result.
During his post-match interview, Flick highlighted the impact of the officiating and the clinical nature of the visitors’ finishing. “On the first goal, we needed to defend much better, and the red card led to a free-kick goal. We could’ve done better,” Flick said. He praised the resilience of the Blaugrana, noting that they continued to push for a way back into the game even with ten men. “We played well in the first and second half, even with a player less. We gave everything, but today luck was not on our side. It’s not over yet,” he added, signaling that the coaching staff had seen enough positive signs to remain hopeful for the return fixture.
Looking ahead to the second leg in Madrid, Flick emphasized that his squad is prepared to fight until the final whistle to secure a place in the semi-finals. While acknowledging that the current scoreline makes the path forward difficult, he urged his players and the fans to maintain belief. “We’ll try, we’ll fight. The semi-final might seem far away now, but we’ll try to be there,” Flick stated defiantly. Barcelona will now need to produce a historic comeback at the Metropolitano to overturn the deficit and keep their European ambitions alive in what has already proven to be a high-stakes continental campaign.
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