Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba Call for VAR After Barcelona Ghost Goal vs. Valencia

Barcelona stars Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba have both called for technology to be implemented in La Liga after Lionel Messi's ghost goal in the team's 1-1 draw with Valencia on Sunday.

In the first period, Messi's shot was mishandled by Valencia goalkeeper Neto, with the ball bouncing through his legs and over the goal line. However, to the dismay of the Barcelona players, the goal was not awarded as the goalkeeper pulled the ball back into play.

"Technology would be the best solution in those situations where there is no doubt, football needs that," Iniesta told Marca (h/t Football Espana) after the game.

"There was no possible different interpretation and those who need to implement the necessary equipment should continue analysing this to bring it as soon as possible."

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Alba, who netted a brilliant late equaliser for Barcelona after a sublime pass from Messi, was aghast at the decision too.

"I was in the middle of the park and even I saw the ball go in! It's outrageous," he said, per Football Espana. "… It can't be that the ball goes in by three metres and the referee doesn't give the goal. It has to be seen! VAR? Of course, technology will help in situations like these."

Marca posted this still of the incident, in which it's clear the ball crossed the line after Neto's error:

Had Barcelona lost the contest, then this would have stung, although in the end the team left the Mestalla Stadium with a hard-earned point. Rodrigo opened the scoring for Valencia before Alba struck to level the scoreline.

While there was a lot of anger about the goal not being awarded, when asked for his opinion on the matter, manager Ernesto Valverde was a lot more reflective.

"In our game against Malaga, we had a goal count when the ball had clearly gone out," he said, per Marca. "We all agree that in these very clear plays, you don't need the replays."

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As relayed by Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, according to AS, despite the controversy surrounding such moments, La Liga has yet to come to any agreement in regards to the implementation of technology:

While the incident against Malaga did go in Barcelona's favour, it's not the first time this year they've had a goal not awarded when the ball crossed the line. In January, an effort clearly went in against Real Betis in a 1-1 draw.

Goal-line technology has been in place in the Premier League since the 2013-14 season and is now used in the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1.