Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2019 were dashed as Xavi Hernández’s side collapsed against PSG on Tuesday. The downfall began with Ronald Araújo‘s first-half sending off at the Olympic Stadium.
Despite being 1-0 up on the night and 4-2 ahead on aggregate after their victory in Paris the previous week, Barcelona’s momentum was abruptly halted when Araujo received a red card for a foul just outside the box in the 29th minute.
This decision extinguished Barcelona’s chances of progressing to the last four, echoing the swift manner in which Barcola went down. The match ended 6-4 on aggregate, with PSG’s comeback led by Ousmane Dembélé, who came back to haunt his former team.
Dembélé, who moved from Barcelona to PSG last summer in a €50 million transfer, faced jeers from the Barcelona fans with every touch but found satisfaction in equalizing just before halftime, heading in Barcola’s cross to level the score. This was only his third goal of the season, with two of them now scored against Barcelona in the past week.
Barcelona might blame their collapse on being reduced to 10 players, but the truth is they enabled PSG’s resurgence. Vitinha found himself unmarked on the edge of the box from a corner kick in the 54th minute and capitalized by scoring. Shortly afterward, João Cancelo fouled Dembélé inside the box, resulting in a penalty that Kylian Mbappé, who had been quiet in the first leg, converted to put PSG ahead in the tie.
Despite having chances to equalize, Barcelona failed to capitalize, and Mbappé secured PSG’s place in the semifinals with his second goal on the counter-attack in the 89th minute, amid celebrations in the away end.
This intense encounter is unlikely to signal the end of the growing rivalry between the two clubs. Manager Luis Enrique experienced the historic 6-1 comeback win against PSG in 2017 and now witnessed PSG’s first-ever overturn of a first-leg defeat in the competition.
In the period between these two comebacks, PSG acquired Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Dembélé from Barcelona, and also convincingly defeated the Catalans at Camp Nou in the 2021 last-16 encounter, with Mbappé scoring a hat-trick.
These elements added to the tension in the fixture, evident in the increased police presence and supporters expressing their animosity towards each other throughout the day leading up to the match at Montjuic stadium.
When 16-year-old Lamine Yamal assisted Raphinha’s goal in the 12th minute, it seemed like the visiting fans would finally be silenced. Barcelona had maintained an unbeaten streak in 13 games leading up to this match, since Xavi announced his departure at the end of the season in January. They had also kept six consecutive clean sheets in LaLiga. With a two-goal lead, Barcelona appeared to have a firm grip on the tie.
Robert Lewandowski missed an opportunity to further extend Barcelona’s lead before the game’s momentum shifted just before the half-hour mark. Araujo was adamant that he had not fouled Barcola, but despite the slight contact, it was deemed a foul, a decision typically not overturned by VAR.
Barcelona’s response to playing with ten men will be haunting. The substitution of Yamal for Iñigo Martínez limited their ability to counterattack, allowing PSG to dominate in the final third. Xavi voiced his frustration about playing a man down, stating, “We’re disappointed.
The red card changed the course of the tie. We were well-organized with 11 players. The referee’s performance was very poor. I told him so; he was dreadful. He ruined the tie. I don’t like discussing referees, but it needs to be addressed. I don’t understand it.”
Dembélé’s goal just before halftime boosted PSG’s confidence, leading to an aggressive start in the second half. Marc-André ter Stegen narrowly avoided conceding to Achraf Hakimi, Fabián Ruiz missed the target, and Vitinha leveled the score at 2-1 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.
This was followed by a penalty, as Barcelona, who had conceded two goals in three minutes in the first leg, once again lost their composure. Despite falling behind, they attempted a comeback.
A penalty appeal for Ilkay Gündogan was denied, resulting in a furious Xavi being sent off for protesting and kicking a barrier on the sideline, followed by the dismissal of goalkeeper coach José Ramón de la Fuente. The frustration stemmed from both losing control of the match and the decisions made on the field.
Despite this, Gianluigi Donnarumma crucially saved from Lewandowski, with Marquinhos preventing Ferran Torres from scoring on the rebound, and Raphinha narrowly missing a shot across the goal as Barcelona’s European campaign came to an end.
In the 88th minute, Dembélé was substituted amid jeers, and a minute later, Mbappé secured PSG’s place in the semifinals. The French side will face Borussia Dortmund in the last four as they continue their quest for their first Champions League trophy.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will confront Real Madrid in El Clásico on Sunday. With Madrid eight points clear at the top of LaLiga, anything less than a victory would effectively extinguish Barcelona’s hopes of winning any silverware this season.
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