Atletico Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan – French Referee’s Dubious Call Hands Los Rojiblancos Crucial Lead In Champions League Blockbuster | OneFootball

French referee Francois Letexier made a controversial decision in Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport via FCInterNews, the 36-year-old’s dubious call directly decided the course of the match.

Los Rojiblancos took an early lead through Julian Alvarez, but it was Francois Letexier who helped the home team go 1-0 up in the ninth minute.

Despite initially disallowing the goal for Alex Baena’s handball in the build-up, the Frenchman changed his mind after consulting with VAR.

Francois Letexier Helps Atletico Madrid Beat Inter Milan

TORREON, MEXICO – FEBRUARY 19: Picture of the VAR system prior the 9th round match between Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul as part of the Torneo Clausura 2025 Liga MX at Corona Stadium on February 19, 2025 in Torreon, Mexico. (Photo by Manuel Guadarrama/Getty Images)

It’s hard to tell whether the ball struck Baena’s arm, yet Letexier overturned his own call.

However, no one would blame him for double-checking with VAR, even if the review didn’t seem to resolve the doubt surrounding the handball.

Meanwhile, the Ligue 1 referee fared well throughout the rest of the match.

Indeed, he refused to punish Alessandro Bastoni for a soft slap, despite Giuliano Simeone’s theatrics.

Still, he should have booked Hakan Calhanoglu for a reckless tackle on Conor Gallagher midway through the first half.