Why did referee Borbalan decide not to award Neymar a penalty?

It will take David Fernandez Borbalan some time to get his performance in the Copa del Rey match between Athletic and Barça out of his head. The reality is that the referee was right with many of his decisions, but he failed spectacularly when not giving a penalty for a clear foul by Etxeita on Neymar. 

Borbalan did not point to the spot because he thought the Brazilian forward’s fall was exaggerated and he believed that it was a trick to cheat and to win the penalty. The referee hesitated and, finally, followed the line of belief which the majority of referees follow when it comes to Ney: that he tends to simulate too much.   

Borbalan, who is one of the most respected officials in Spain’s top flight by the players, would have given a penalty in the case of a more natural fall, but he did not have time to react after taking his first decision. The cameras, later, showed that he was wrong and the referee was aware that that moment was going to heat the game up, as proved to be true in the second half. 

The referee saw the Barça players were much more tense after the break and the game became more violent. He had to send off two Athletic players. It was a complicated encounter, with a failure - the penalty - which has an explanation.