The fact that Atletico Madrid was knocked out from the Copa del Rey by Barcelona was not the main concern of Gabi. The Colchoneros' team captain was mostly irritated by Neymar’s behavior on the pitch.
“He’s always making gestures on the field, especially when he’s in front. Nobody likes to lose and these things irritate you,” Gabi said at the end of the game.
Both teams played an exciting first half. With eleven players on each side, they went into halftime with Barcelona leading the way 3-2. By the time they got back to play the second half, Gabi had already seen the red card in the tunnel.
“I said: 'Jesus, it was a penalty and a red card.' That was my disrespect, according to the referee,” Gabi added when explaining what lead to his suspension.
The 31-year-old Spanish international was refering to a play where Barcelona’s Jordi Alba stopped a shot by Antoine Griezmann with his hand inside the box. Following that, a counter-attack by los Cules was capitalized with Neymar’s second goal of the night.
WATCH: Jori Alba's handball inside the small box
Atletico’s manager, Diego Simeone, felt that those two consecutive plays defined the game. He left the field feeling proud of the work done by his players.
“It was my decision to play without trying to score (in the second half), and without risking that they score,” Simeone said while refusing to answer questions about the referee’s performance.
Atletico fans at El Calderón booed Neymar throughout the second half. At the time Pedro substituted him in the 77th minute, fans booed him even louder.
Referee Gil Manzano also sent off Mario Suárez early, leaving the home team with nine players for the last six minutes of the game. He also showed a total of nine yellow cards throughout the entire match.
“Of course he should have more responsibility, and dialogue with the players,” Gabi pointed out about Manzano.
WATCH: Neymar makes fun of Atletico's players before heading into the locker rooms at halftime
FC Barcelona announced Gabi's red card via Twitter
ATLÉTICO RED CARD: It seems Gabi was sent off at half-time due to an incident in the players tunnel #FCBlive
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) enero 28, 2015 
