Barcelona coach Hansi Flick criticized the “wrong decision” to disallow Robert Lewandowski’s goal for offside after his team were beaten 1-0 at Real Sociedad in LaLiga on Sunday.

Lewandowski thought he had opened the scoring for Anoeta in the 14th minute, but the semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), introduced in Spain at the start of the season, ruled that the striker’s toe was marginally in front of La Real’s foot defender Nayef Aguerd stood.

The hosts went on to win the match through Sheraldo Becker’s goal, ending Barça’s seven-match winning streak in all competitions as Flick’s team failed to find the net in a match for the first time this season .

“It was clearly the wrong decision,” Flick said after the match against Barça One. “I have seen the photo. It is clear, it is clear, but we have to accept it.

“It wasn’t the referee’s fault. At the end of the day we are human, we make mistakes, and today was a big mistake.”

SAOT is not universally used across Europe. The Italian Serie A was the first major league to implement it and there is a desire to introduce it to the Premier League, but its rollout in England has been delayed as testing continues.

Flick was convinced Lewandowski’s goal was botched and expressed his thoughts to the referee at half-time, although he played down the idea that he had come across as “angry” in the discussion.

“It wasn’t that angry,” he laughed at his post-match press conference. “I just said to him: ‘It was a goal, it was a wrong decision, it was not offside.’

“But it wasn’t his fault. We have to accept it. Until then, with the 1-0 for us, it would be a different game. But in the end it was different and it wasn’t our day.”

“In the end it’s a defeat, but the games before and after the last break were fantastic. I really appreciate the team and how they are doing.”

Barca’s second league defeat of the season also came as Lamine Yamal watched from the stands after bruising his ankle in the midweek Champions League victory over Red Star Belgrade.

The 17-year-old, who has six goals and eight assists in 16 appearances this season, also did not start Barca’s last LaLiga loss to Osasuna in September.

“I think it would be an easy answer to say, ‘Okay, we lost because Lamine wasn’t there,'” Flick said when asked if it was a coincidence that they lost both matches, the teenager is not yet started.

“Of course every team will miss a player like this quality Lamine. But in the end we started well. I think the goal, which I can say, was definitely a wrong decision, but we have to accept it.”

“After the La Real goal we had some trouble. I think today was not our day, also in attack we did not have the clear opportunities to score goals. We made wrong decisions in the final third. We have to accept it today.” “

Flick added that Barca and Spain doctors will now decide whether Yamal will join the national team for the upcoming matches against Denmark and Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League.

The defeat to La Real cuts Barca’s lead at the top of LaLiga to six points, while second-placed Real Madrid also have a game in hand. They will be back in action after the international break against Celta Vigo on November 23.