Barcelona refuse to 'give up' as Hansi Flick backs second-leg fightback

Speaking after the match at Spotify Camp Nou, Flick pointed to his side's performance, even after being reduced to ten men, as a reason for optimism.

"We created very good chances," Flick said. "They did very well, but we won't give up. Of course we believe in ourselves."

Barcelona were forced onto the back foot for long periods, but Flick felt his players showed resilience under pressure. "We did very well with ten men. It wasn't easy to defend against them, but we had opportunities and we will have our chances," he added. "We are positive. We will give everything."

The German coach admitted Atletico's quality made the difference on the night, particularly in key moments. "They scored two goals because they have a lot of quality. In the build-up to the first goal, I think we should have defended better," he explained.

Flick also addressed controversial refereeing decisions that left him frustrated. He questioned the red card shown to Pau Cubarsi, suggesting the incident was not clear-cut. "The red card could have been given or not. I'm not sure it was enough for a sending-off, because the ball was behind him," he said.

He was more critical of another moment involving Juan Musso and Arnau Pubill. "I don't know why VAR didn't intervene. It's incredible," Flick said. "It should be a penalty, a second yellow card and a sending-off."

Despite the frustration, Flick made it clear his focus had already shifted to the decisive second leg. "We have to accept it and now focus on next Tuesday's match. We have the quality and the players to do it. We will fight until the end."

Barcelona will now travel to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on 14 April, knowing they must overturn a two-goal deficit to keep their Champions League hopes alive.