Daijiworld Media Network - Girona

Girona, Feb 17: Pau Cubarsí chose not to criticise match officials after FC Barcelona slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Girona FC on Monday night.

Girona snatched victory late in the game through a strike from Fran Beltrán, a goal that Barcelona players felt should have been ruled out due to an alleged foul on Jules Koundé in the build-up.

Despite the controversy, Cubarsí refrained from commenting on the refereeing decision.

“Everyone saw it. I’m not going to comment. People know what happened. We couldn’t do anything from the inside. We shouldn’t criticize the referee. We need to improve ourselves, and we played a bad game,” he told the media after the match.

The young defender admitted that the team fell short on multiple fronts.

“We’ve been lacking a little bit of everything. We need to be self-critical. We need to improve. We need to rest and recharge our batteries because we have a long week ahead. We need to improve four things and get our act together,” he added.

The defeat dents Barcelona’s hopes of retaining their league title. They remain second in the table, now two points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid, intensifying the pressure in the title race as the season progresses.