MADRID • Craig Shakespeare, Leicester's interim manager, complained that his team had been "hard done by" and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was also critical of the referee's performance, after the controversial 1-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday night.

The English football club's players and coaching staff were incensed that the Swedish match official, Jonas Eriksson, decided Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann was inside the area when Marc Albrighton fouled him to concede the decisive first-half penalty.

The France international beat Schmeichel from the spot for his 24th goal of the season, but Leicester's goalkeeper was convinced it should have been a free kick rather than a penalty.

"It has ruined our game plan," said the Dane. "It is tough to take when it is so clear. We should have had something from this but we have to accept it. "

Shakespeare was also aggrieved on a night when centre-back Robert Huth collected a second- half booking that means he is suspended from the return leg on Tuesday at the King Power Stadium.

"We were hard done by," he said of the penalty incident. "It is one of the major decisions in the game - a definite foul but outside the box. I think it is a disappointing moment, a key moment. The referee has to get that one right."

Leicester's sports scientist, Tom Joel, was sent to the stands after complaints from Atletico bench that he had left the technical area to try to get some drinks to Albrighton.

Diego Simeone, the Atletico coach, was clearly dissatisfied that they had not been able to win more convincingly.

THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE