Leading 3-2 after an electrifying first leg in Paris, Barcelona initially took the lead but eventually lost 4-1 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate. The turning point came when Ronald Araújo’s first-half red card changed the course of the match.
Barcelona seemed poised for the semifinals when Raphinha scored early on after brilliant play from teenager Lamine Yamal. However, the game shifted dramatically when defender Araújo received a straight red card for bringing down Bradley Barcola as he approached the goal. The decision was contentious, as Araújo made minimal contact with Barcola, who then fell to the ground.
This red card was the first of 12, including three reds, shown by Kovács, who quickly lost control of the match. PSG capitalized on their numerical advantage five minutes before halftime when former Barcelona player Ousmane Dembélé scored, silencing the home crowd.
Vitinha’s precise low strike early in the second half leveled the score, and two goals from Kylian Mbappé, including a penalty after João Cancelo fouled Dembélé, secured PSG’s progression to the semifinals for the third time in five seasons.
“We are annoyed,” Xavi told ESPN. “The red card decided the tie. We were well organized 11 vs. 11. It completely changed everything. For me, it’s too much to send [Araújo] off there. The referee was really bad. I told him he was a disaster. He killed the tie. I don’t like speaking about referees, but it has to be said. I don’t understand it. It’s not good going down to 10 players, and from that point on, it’s another game. For as much as we speak [about the match], the red card marks everything.”
Xavi lamented missed opportunities before the red card, with Ilkay Gündogan hitting the post and Robert Lewandowski’s shot going just over. He expressed his disappointment that the season’s hard work was undone by a single refereeing decision. Xavi, who is stepping down at the end of the season, added, “I would have liked it to be 11 vs. 11 for the whole game. It’s an unnecessary red.”
Kovács, who appeared eager to make his presence felt, also showed red cards to Xavi and his goalkeeping coach José Ramón de la Fuente in the second half. CNN has offered Kovács a right of reply via UEFA.
PSG manager Luis Enrique, who has enjoyed successful periods with Barcelona as both player and manager, believed his team would have won even without Araújo’s dismissal. Enrique, who led Barcelona to a historic treble in the 2014-15 season and orchestrated a legendary Champions League comeback against PSG in 2017, commented, “We started the game really well, and the feeling when they score, after a brilliant piece of play from Lamine Yamal, is a bit like the first leg. We didn’t deserve to lose last week, and we didn’t deserve to be behind tonight. But the faith and belief from the players were exceptional. From there, we grew into the game. Obviously, the red card is a factor, but you still have to know how to play these games and not make mistakes. I honestly think without the red card, we still win, although I can’t prove that.”
PSG will face Borussia Dortmund for a place in the Champions League final after the German side mounted their own comeback against Atlético Madrid, overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit with a 4-2 home victory on Tuesday.
