Barcelona’s look ahead to a primary Champions League semifinal look since 2019 goes on after Xavi Hernández’s aspect imploded in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday following Ronald Araújo‘s first half sending off on the Olympic Stadium.
Barça had been main 1-0 on the night time, 4-2 on mixture after final week’s first leg win in Paris, when Araujo frivolously bundled Bradley Barcola down simply exterior the world within the twenty ninth minute. The referee rapidly branded a pink card, and with it Barça’s hopes of reaching the final 4 disappeared as rapidly as Barcola had dropped to the deck, with the sport ending 6-4 on mixture.
PSG’s comeback was led by Ousmane Dembélé on his return to Barcelona. He left Barça for France final summer time in a switch value €50 million and fierce whistles greeted his each contact. He might afford a smile when he equalized simply earlier than half-time, changing Barcola’s cross to get his aspect again within the tie. It was simply the third aim he has scored this season — two of them have come in opposition to Barça within the final week.
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Barça might pin their collapse on being all the way down to 10 males, however the fact is that they made PSG’s route again into the sport simple. Vitinha was left unmarked on the sting of the field from a nook within the 54th minute. He duly smashed in to the underside nook after which, simply after the hour mark, João Cancelo clattered into Dembéle contained in the field. Kylian Mbappé, nameless within the first leg, dispatched the ensuing penalty to provide PSG the lead within the tie.
The house aspect did have possibilities to stage, however they got here and went, with Mbappé including his second aim on the counter-attack within the 89th minute to seal PSG’s passage into the semifinal as flares had been set off within the away finish within the second tier behind the aim the place he had simply scored.
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If that was the tip to this frenetic tie, it’s unlikely to be the tip to the growing rivalry between the 2 golf equipment. Supervisor Luis Enrique was within the Barça dugout in 2017 once they beat PSG 6-1 to beat a 4-0 first leg deficit. Now he has helped PSG overturn a primary leg defeat within the competitors for the primary ever time. Earlier than the sport, he had mentioned he was satisfied that may be the case.
In between these two comebacks, PSG have taken Neymar, Lionel Messi and Dembéle from Barça, whereas additionally they hammered the Catalans at Camp Nou when the 2 sides met in 2021 within the final 16, Mbappé netting a hat trick on that event. All of these components have added an edge to this fixture and it was obvious right here, with the additional police presence palpable and supporters chanting their dislike for one another all through the day within the metropolis all the way in which as much as the stadium in Montjuic.
When 16-year-old Lamine Yamal roasted Nuno Mendes within the twelfth minute to arrange Raphinha, it seemed just like the travelling supporters would lastly be silenced. Barça had been unbeaten in 13 video games coming into this match, relationship again to Xavi’s January announcement that he’ll step down when the season ends. They’ve saved six clear sheets in a row in LaLiga. With a two aim benefit, it seemed like tie over.
Robert Lewandowski blazed an opportunity so as to add one other aim for Barça over the bar earlier than the sport swung definitively simply earlier than the half hour mark. Araujo was adamant he had not fouled Barcola. The contact was mild, but it surely existed and it’s not the type of determination VAR usually intervenes in.
How Barça reacted to shedding a person is what is going to hang-out them. Iñigo MartÃnez got here on for Yamal, limiting their counter assault capacity, and PSG arrange camp within the last third.
Xavi mentioned about going a person down: “We’re irritated. The pink card has marked the tie. We had been well-organised 11 v 11. The referee was actually unhealthy. I informed him, he was a catastrophe. He killed the tie. I do not like talking about refs but it surely needs to be mentioned. I do not perceive it.”
Dembélé’s aim simply earlier than the break bred confidence and PSG poured ahead initially of the second half. Marc-André ter Stegen was virtually caught out by a skidding effort from Achraf Hakimi, Fabián Ruiz shot huge after which, lastly, Vitinha made it 2-1 on the night time and 4-4 on mixture. The penalty quickly adopted as Barça, who conceded two targets in three minutes within the first leg, as soon as once more misplaced their bearings.
As soon as behind, they did rally. There was a penalty shout turned down on Ilkay Gündogan, which led to a fuming Xavi being despatched off for protesting and kicking a barrier on the sideline, earlier than goalkeeper coach José Ramón de la Fuente additionally acquired his marching orders. The anger felt as a lot a few lack of management of the match because it did the choices on the pitch.
Nonetheless, Gianluigi Donnarumma needed to save from Lewandowski, with Marquinhos stopping Ferran Torres from tapping within the rebound, after which Raphinha dragged a cross-shot simply huge as Barça’s European marketing campaign light out.
Within the 88th minute, Dembélé was whistled off, and a minute later, Mbappé sealed PSG’s passage to the semifinal. The French aspect will meet Borussia Dortmund within the final 4 as they proceed their bid to win a maiden Champions League trophy.
Barça, in the meantime, head to Actual Madrid for El Clásico on Sunday. With Madrid eight factors clear on the high of LaLiga, something however a win would now successfully finish their hopes of silverware this season.
