The Champions League quarter-final second leg between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona witnessed a painful incident involving Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso and Barcelona midfielder Fermín Lopez.
The incident occurred midway through the first half, in the 24th minute, when Lopez fired a dangerous shot from close range, which Musso brilliantly saved, before the move was completed by the goalkeeper's foot violently hitting the Spanish player in the face.
Lopez was struck by the shoe (studded with nails), resulting in severe bleeding in his face, which required urgent intervention from the medical staff.
After quick first aid, the player was able to stop the bleeding and resume the match, during his team's attempt to achieve a European "comeback".
A short while ago, Barcelona striker Fermín López suffered a serious injury, with images showing a severe nosebleed resulting from a collision with the Atlético Madrid goalkeeper.
Surprisingly, he refused to leave the field and insisted on continuing the Champions League quarter-final second leg. pic.twitter.com/xe0iGTbtUN
However, referee Clément Turpin refused to award the penalty, after an indirect review with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.
The replays showed slight contact between the players, without enough force to be considered a clear obstruction, which supports the referee's decision not to award a penalty kick.
Despite the violence of the scene, the goalkeeper touched the ball first, and his foot was in a natural position while attempting to block it, making the contact a "natural result of the movement" and not a violation warranting a penalty kick.
In the end, Barcelona won 2-1 in the second leg, but Atletico Madrid secured qualification for the semi-finals thanks to their 2-0 victory in the first leg.
