It was the action that changed the course of the match. And which leaves a lot of regrets for the people of Barcelona. Launched by a quick goal from Raphinha, Barça then found themselves down to ten in their Champions League quarter-final against PSG after the expulsion of their central defender Ronald Araujo (29th) for a foul on the Parisian striker Bradley Barcola. An hour in numerical inferiority fatal to the Catalans, who collapsed and finally conceded four goals (1-4) after this action.
A turning point in the match denounced by Catalan coach Xavi at the Movistar microphone in the minutes following the elimination of his team in the quarter-final of the C1. “We are upset, angry, because I think it is the referee who makes the match,” said the former midfielder at the Movistar microphone. At eleven against eleven, we were well organized, the referee completely impacted the match. It is excessive to give a red card for this action. »
“I told the referee he was very bad”
“It’s not good for football to be reduced to ten men in a playoff match,” he continues. I told the referee that it was very bad, that he didn’t understand the game, that it was a disaster. It completely changed the match. » “It’s a shame,” he even says. A few minutes later, visibly calmed, Xavi is less virulent at a press conference. “I asked the referee to go see the VAR because it (the expulsion of Araujo) is a question of interpretation,” he said. We can be proud of ourselves, we lost in a very dignified manner, and on a referee’s decision that we cannot control. The expulsion destroyed the match. »
But among its players, opinions are less clear-cut. “I haven’t seen the images, but my feeling is that Barcola’s control is long and was going towards the goalkeeper,” slips Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong. “If he calls a foul, he must give him a red card, and that changes everything,” says goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen. Now that I see the images again, yes he catches it. And yes, it can be whistled. »
“You have to be sure you have the ball if you intervene”
“If he fouls him, it’s red,” said Ilkay Gundogan speaking to CBS Sports. I haven’t seen the images yet, you probably know better than us. It’s hard to say. But in these kinds of crucial moments you have to be sure you have the ball if you intervene. Otherwise, you should refrain. I prefer to concede the goal or let the attacker go one-on-one. The ball was going quite far, I don’t even know if he could have reached it… We could have given our goalkeeper the opportunity to save us, or even concede the goal. This is killing us. »
An opinion shared by Thierry Henry, consultant for the channel. “Don’t throw yourself away like that. Let him go, hope that your goalkeeper will save him, but don’t let the referee have the power to make what Xavi calls a mistake,” says the coach of the French youth team. Referring, like Gundogan, Ronald Araujo to his bad choice on this action.
