Inter Milan vs. Barcelona score: Xavi says no-call on Dumfries’ handball was an ‘injustice’ after Barça loss

The pressure was on Inter Milan due to poor recent results, and they delivered with a much-needed — yet controversial — 1-0 victory over Barcelona to put their Champions League campaign back on track on Tuesday. 

Coming off of back-to-back losses in Serie A and being home underdogs (+310) against the Spanish side in Matchday 3, it was a gorgeous, long-distance strike from Hakan Calhanoglu that made the difference at the San Siro. The Turkey international fired home right before the half, beating Marc-Andre ter Stegen low from 20 yards out. 

The victory puts Inter in sole possession of second place in Group C, three points behind leaders Bayern and three ahead of Barca. With three games to go, and the next one being at Barca, just a draw in Spain will put the Italian club on the verge of qualifying for the round of 16.

As for Barca, they ended the match in shock after what looked like a clear handball in the box from Denzel Dumfries. The play was reviewed by VAR but no penalty was given. It’s back-to-back losses in UCL with no goals in the last 180 minutes for Xavi’s men, making next Wednesday’s rematch (3 p.m. ET | Paramount+) potentially a must-win affair. 

The failure to give a penalty kick on that clear Dumfries handball was the main talking point after the match and left Xavi fuming. 

“I am pissed off and outraged by the situation we have had to experience,” Xavi said, according to Mundo Deportivo. “There is no other word than outrage. It is an injustice. I already said yesterday that the referees must explain themselves … For me, the hand is very clear.

“It’s difficult to sum up the game. I think in the second half, we were better. We played with more personality, more attack.

“The final shot was missing … We know they are a difficult team to attack … I think we deserved much more than this defeat.”

Here is part of the interview:

The CBS Sports crew on Paramount+, including rules expert Christina Unkel, looked at the decision closely, as well as an earlier one in the game that saw a Barca goal ruled out:

“That decision was the reason why we brought VAR in,” Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said of the Dumfries’ play. “I mean, it’s a shocking decision to not give a penalty.”

Unkel agreed with Carragher but said that perhaps the VAR did not have a definitive view of the ball clearly hitting Dumfries’ hand and decided to let it go, but she was still surprised.

“I do believe this is a handling offense, and it should have been a penalty,” Unkel said.

Now, Barca still would have had to convert the penalty to get a point, and while this result stings, they were far from their best. Despite having 72% possession, they only shot the ball seven times, two more than Inter. They were rarely threatening inside the box, and for some reason, they were timid in trying their luck from deep. 

Inter were willing to try from range, and they took home three points as a result.