PSG expels Barça from the ‘Champions’
The red card for Araujo in the 29th minute marks a duel that started 1-0
BARCELONA, 16 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona lost this Tuesday against Paris Saint-Germain (1-4) at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and was left out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals, despite the 2-3 in the first leg and the initial goal of Raphinha, in a duel marked by the early expulsion of Ronald Araujo that gave PSG wings to seek a comeback against a disoriented and increasingly tired Barça.
It was close to returning to the semifinals five years later but, after that direct red card to Araujo for cutting off a counterattack by Bradley Barcola, it was the turning point. Barça went from smiling and dominating the tie – although not the match – to suffering, running, getting upset with the referee and saying goodbye to the ‘Champions’ through the back door.
From the 29th minute, from playing with one less, Barça was not the Barça of recent months, the one that did not lose and the one that enjoyed. The one who barely conceded goals. He became a Barça team that was like a headless chicken, running after the ball and after the PSG players, leaving itself without physical depth. And yet, at the end of the match and with 1-3, he had two great chances to force extra time. But it wasn’t the night. The Olympic magic of Montjuïc, that of Barcelona ’92, is already thinking about Paris 2024.
A stick from Gündogan and a saving hand from Gianluigi Donnarumma with a left-footed shot – the least good – by Robert Lewandowski avoided the possible 2-3 and, with Barça already melted, the Parisian star Kylian Mbappé scored the 1-4 definitive in a play that summed up the match: two bad rebounds from Barça and, on the third visitor’s shot, the winning goal. The second from Mbappé, who scored 1-3 from a penalty.
The match began similar to the one at Parc des Princes, with PSG dominating the ball and, despite not having clear scoring chances, forcing Barça to back down and try to find a way to survive on the counterattack. And so Raphinha opened the can and morally hit PSG. Third goal in the ‘Champions’ for the Brazilian, who finished as best he could, almost with his right knee, the great cross from Lamine Yamal – the youngest player to reach ten games in the ‘Champions’ – after leaving Nuno behind Mendes.
A play that was born from an initial pass by Ronald Araujo, who ran like crazy to hug Xavi Hernández. And Luis Enrique Martínez opted, this time, for individual marking when Barça released the ball, covering Pau Cubarsí, Frenkie de Jong and even Pedri, when he came down to help, and floated the Uruguayan centre-back. He believed that the ‘Uruguasho’ would give away balls, but he gave away half an assist on a goal.
First chance for Barça, first goal and first big step taken towards the semi-finals. And, shortly after the goal, Robert Lewandowski had the 2-0 in his boots. The Pole, who had a great game in the first leg despite not scoring, once again had a strong mark but, in the 20th minute, he managed to gain space to shoot a shot that went over the crossbar defended by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Within half an hour everything changed. Firstly because, in the 28th minute, Marc-André ter Stegen saved the tie with a centered shot from Kylian Mbappé. And, immediately afterwards, it was Jules Koundé who, with a header and close to the goal line, deflected the danger and the ghost of the Parisian goal. The match was tense when, after a loss by Araujo, PSG set up a counterattack and the Uruguayan threw Barcola when he faced Ter Stegen.
Foul outside the area, not a penalty, but the scenario was worse: Ronald Araujo was sent off with a direct red card. Barça lost, with at least 60 minutes to play, its best scorer. The Uruguayan, who put his hands on the shoulder of the young French winger, chose to try to avoid the goal. What came was worse.
In the 40th minute, from the far post and first with his right foot, Ousmane Dembélé responded to the continued boos with a goal that tied the game. His second goal in this ‘Champions’, the second against his former team. And only the third goal all season, with a single ‘but’ prior to his double against Barça scored against Monaco, in Ligue 1.
And, on the verge of half-time, with the Blaugranas overwhelmed, the ‘Mosquito’ had the 1-2 in their boots but his shot, again at first, came out licking, almost literally, the right post of a Marc-André ter Stegen who He sighed when he saw the ball come out. The German also breathed when Adley Barcola left-footed, went well past Koundé and his volley went wide. Barça urgently needed the break to catch their breath, reorganize themselves and try to change the course of a match that, since Araujo’s expulsion, looked like a Parisian comeback.
But the talk at half-time didn’t work. As soon as he came out, the Spaniard Fabián Ruiz had it with a cross shot with his left leg that grazed the post. Similar to the one that closed the first half in Dembélé’s boots. PSG came out to tie the tie and Barça, in the first minutes of the restart, was ‘out’, with no idea how to reverse the situation. Something else had to be done and Xavi’s men couldn’t do it.
In the 55th minute the worst predictions came true and Vitinha, who had already scored in the first leg, struck from distance. The Portuguese, with a cross shot, scored that goal that seemed to be coming. Right after Vitinha’s goal, Barça had a chance to break the game again, but this time Ilkay Gündogan lacked a little more aim. A pinch, just. Because his shot hit the post, with Donnarumma beaten.
The ball did not want to go in and Barça, in addition to without Araujo and without a tie, was also left without a coach due to the direct red card from Xavi Hernández, who kicked a camera protection near the midfield line. The goalkeeping coach, José Ramón de la Fuente, was also expelled.
Could anything have gone worse? Yes. That João Cancelo committed an unnecessary penalty on Ousmane Dembélé, when he was leaving the area. And a goal from Kylian Mbappé to give Luis Enrique’s PSG the lead, for the first time. Decisive advantage, because Marc-André ter Stegen ended up being Barça’s best and avoided more goals, and goodbye to a Barça that improved compared to the past but that ran into a PSG that took advantage of the key moment of the tie; a hand from Araujo on a rival shoulder.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: FC BARCELONA, 1 – PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, 4 (1-1, at halftime).
–EQUIPMENT.
FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Koundé, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo (John Cancelo, min.82); De Jong (Fermin, min.82), Gündogan, Pedri (Ferran Torres, min.61); Lamine Yamal (34th minute), Lewandowski and Raphinha.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Hernandez, Nuno Mendes; Zaire-Emery (Ugarte, min.80), Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz (Asensio, min.77); Dembélé (88 mins), Mbappe and Barcola (Kang-in Lee 77 mins).
–GOALS.
1-0. Min.12, Raphinha.
1-1. Min.40, Dembélé.
1-2. Min.54, Vitinha.
1-3. Min.61, Mbappé (p).
1-4. Min.89, Mbappé.
–REFEREE: István Kovács (RUM). He cautioned Iñigo Martínez (min.40), Lewandowski (min.50), Gündogan (min.64), Raphinha (min.90+7) and Fermín (min.90+7) at FC Barcelona and Mbappé (min. 40), Fabián Ruiz (min.45+1), Marquinhos (min.62), Donnarumma (min.87) at Paris Saint-Germain. He sent off Araujo (min.29) and Xavi Hernández (min.56) with a direct red card for FC Barcelona.
— STADIUM: Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, 50,309 spectators.
2024-04-16 21:11:39
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