Barcelona had an aggregate two-goal lead and were seemingly in control in Spain until it all turned into chaos.
A “disastrous performance” by the referee, “panic” by Barcelona’s players and “an unnecessary expulsion” were all blamed for a dramatic Tuesday night at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys as Paris St-Germain won 4-1.
Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo’s sending-off turned the tide in the Champions League quarter-final, as PSG came from 3-2 down in the first leg to win 6-4.
A double from Kylian Mbappé, a long-range strike from Vitinha and a goal from Ousmane Dembele against his former club saw Barcelona spiral out of control – and out of the competition.
While Barcelona delivered a performance full of errors, referee Istvan Kovacs had a busy evening. The Romanian showed three red cards to the hosts – manager Xavi’s frustrations got the better of him, before a member of his coaching staff was sacked for dissent. That only added to the damage done by Araujo’s red card on Bradley Barcola early in the first half.
“The referee was really bad. I told him his performance was a disaster. I don’t like to talk about referees, but it had a clear impact on the season and it has to be said,” Xavi told Movistar Plus.
“We are very upset and angry because the red card was the decisive factor in the match. With 11 we were in a good position, we played well and we were in the lead.
“It’s too much to give a red card in a match like this. Then another match followed… It’s a shame that the work of the season was ruined by an unnecessary exclusion.”
Araujo’s early departure allowed PSG to build momentum. The goals flowed; Barcelona collapsed. Joao Cancelo needlessly brought down Dembele in the penalty area, allowing Mbappé to score the first of his two goals from the penalty spot.
“You can’t make mistakes in the Champions League,” former Barcelona striker Thierry Henry told CBS.
“If you make mistakes, you immediately pay the price. That’s why it’s so difficult to win that match, because you can’t make one mistake.”
‘You can’t win if you panic’
Barcelona left Paris with a 3-2 win and got off to a perfect start in the second leg when Raphinha deflected teenager Lamine Yamal’s cross.
But Barcelona’s lead did not last long and PSG took control in the second half when Kovacs’ cards came.
“It’s a shame that all the work of a season, because of a decision by the referee, ends here,” Xavi told CBS.
“I would have liked to play 11 against 11 against Luis Enrique and against PSG [for] every minute of the match. We know there are broadcasts in football, but I believe this one [for Araujo] was unnecessary.”
A total of twelve cards were shown on the night in addition to the five goals, a penalty and Ilkay Gundogan’s strike that broke the woodwork in the second half.
But ex-striker Henry believes the chaos was all caused by Barcelona themselves.
“Barcelona deserved to go down to ten men. That penalty was a penalty. That doesn’t mean you should allow those goals,” he added.
“The goals they conceded weren’t because they played with 10 men. It was because they panicked. You can’t win a title or become a champion if you panic. I don’t care who you are.”
“You can’t panic in difficult situations because it will creep over you, it will creep over the team in the stadium and before you know it the momentum goes to Paris St-Germain. Then they are out of the competition.” “
Barcelona supporters were in tears in the stands at full-time. Players fell to their knees on the pitch and manager Xavi emerged from a coffin in the stadium to console his team.
Mbappé led the Paris St-Germain celebrations for the away fans. They have a place in the semi-finals to look forward to for the fourth time.
