In a game that was touted to be in favour of Barca after a solid performance in the first leg, Barcelona looked to prove everyone right, with an incredible start as Raphina scored at just the twelfth minute, and things looked might precarious for PSG, who would now need two goals to surpass the aggregate lead. The cards were stacked against them, and ironically a card is what brought them back into the match.
The red card that turned the tables
Barcola was racing to the box with Araujo the only defender trailing him, and when he brought Barcola down, we all knew nothing good was coming for Barcelona. And when the referee straight up went for the red, it was a sight of dismal shock for Barcelona and especially Araujo, who argued with the referee and took a while to leave the ground. And seeing what PSG achieved, it’s clear why. PSG were suddenly incredibly keen on driving the ball forward, and as Barcelona were scrambling at the untimely loss they’ve suffered, Xavi was forced to remove the enterprising Lamine Yamal, who was the manufacturer of the first goal, to bring on a defender to fill the massive gap left by Araujo. Some might say this may have been too harsh and Lamal needed to be on longer, it’s hard not to sympathise with Xavi.
PSG wasted no time, with Dembele and Vitinha scoring across halves to get them the lead they deserved through and through, the former being somewhat of a nightmarish presence for Barca, making incredible runs and toying with the backline. To add salt into their deep wounds, Xavi found himself reacting quite aggressively toward the back end of the game, kicking some boards on the side and saw the referee point a red for his conduct, and he had to leave the game. And as Mbappe netted in two more goals, Barca slumped to a disappointing finish in their UCL campaign.
Yellow Cards for sale!
This game seemed almost vengeful, with the referee working double-time and handing over not a couple or 3, but nine yellow cards! Xavi, among others, have criticised the referee after the game, and while the referee could have gone a tad overboard, the conduct of the players was simply too brash, and it was clear to anyone who watched the game. Not even Donnarumma was spared, and along with him Lopez, Raphina, Gundogan, Marquinhos, Lewandowski, Ruiz, Martinez, and Mbappe were the culprits.
It was an intense match with emotions running high, that’s for sure, and though PSG were given an advantage with Arajuo’s mistake, they took the advantage and spun it beautifully to their advantage, as anyone would expect from a team of their class and calibre.
