Red card and penalty for Barcelona: “Disaster”
Updated 2024-04-17 00.07 | Published 2024-04-16 23.00
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Barcelona had one leg in the Champions League semi-finals.
But a red card and a penalty ruined the evening against PSG.
– It was a disaster, says coach Xavi about the referee’s action after the 1-4 loss.
With a 3–2 victory behind them, the return meeting in the CL quarter began in the best way for Barcelona.
Already in the twelfth minute they took the lead with 1-0 when 16-year-old Lamine Yamal entered the penalty area enterprisingly and served Raphinha who put the ball into the net.
But slowly but surely the collapse came.
A collapse that began with an early expulsion.
Bradley Barcola stormed towards the penalty area whereupon he fell in a duel with Ronald Araújo just outside the penalty area. The Uruguayan had to see the red card, which he was anything but happy with.
– For me, there was no reason to give him a red card. But maybe I didn’t see it very well and I’m probably a bit biased, says Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong in TV4 Play.
With one more man on the court, it was 1-1 just before the break through former Barcelona player Ousmane Dembélé.
Xavi sent off
2-1 was scored in the 54th minute by Vitinha and shortly afterwards the top hat went to Barcelona coach Xavi.
Barcelona were awarded a free-kick in midfield whereupon Xavi gesticulated wildly, kicked a cover by a nearby camera and said a few seemingly well-chosen words.
That caused the referee to pull out the red card and send Xavi up in the stands.
– The referee was good, or I don’t know if he was good… one piece of advice for him is that he should first realize that people are emotional in a match like this. The first reaction is emotion. But if you show emotion to this referee, he gives a yellow or red card immediately. It shouldn’t happen at this level and he should change that, says de Jong.
PSG penalty
But it would be much worse.
Five minutes after Xavi’s red card, Joao Cancelo brought down Ousmane Dembélé and PSG were awarded a penalty. A penalty Kylian Mbappé slammed into the crossbar.
PSG eventually won 4–1 after Mbappé punctuated the game in the 89th minute.
After the goal, Xavi was seen arguing with the referee.
– I told the referee that he was very bad, that he didn’t understand the game. It was a disaster. It changed the whole game. I don’t like to talk about referees but he left his mark on the match, says Xavi at the press conference according to Mundo Deportivo.
Dortmund, who defeated Atlético Madrid 5-4 over two games, awaits in the semi-finals.
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1 / 2Foto: David Ramos / Getty Images
