Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre refused to turn on goalkeeper Christian Abbiati after his howler helped Deco open the scoring for Barcelona in their 3-0 victory at the Nou Camp last night.

At the final whistle, Abbiati immediately apologised to fans and teammates for his error and later Aguirre said: "There are always mistakes in games.

"We are all responsible. I am the first. It wasn't decisive, there were other factors for the defeat. His error put us back on our heels, but we never did enough to threaten their goal after that.

"It took the wind out of us. You cannot afford to give a helping hand to Barcelona, especially at their own ground.

"But I am pleased with my players. They never gave up fighting. To win here you need to have luck and to play well."