Barca could’ve give their season an extra shot of adrenaline tonight.
Up 3-2 in the tie against PSG, the second leg coming at the Montjuic, Barca looked primed to finish off a journey held down by frustration and struggles, while beginning a new one with a renewed sense of life if they were to qualify for the UCL semifinals.
All that was left, was to hold off a talented PSG squad, full of difference makers and players that could turn the tide at any given moment.
Could Barca do just that? Or did another disappointing night in Europe commence?
Let’s dive into it…
First half
The first half started off a little shaky.
PSG dominated the majority of control early, leaving Barca to be content with the chances they could put together on the counter. It wasn’t the most feasible way to start the match, but Barca simply had to live with what they had at the moment.
However, things turned positive later in the half, with Barca finding the first goal of the game courtesy of Raphinha.
Raphinha continues to torch PSG
A lot of the work was done by Lamine Yamal, who received the ball on the right flank before toying with Nuno Mendes and flying into PSG’s penalty area.
There, he fired a pass across the face of goal, hoping a teammate would connect with it. Luckily, Raphinha got on the end of it, sending the pass into the back of the net near post.
1-0 Barca, the Montjuic was full of energy, and things looked pretty good for Barca.
But after this, things went downhill very quickly.
Because in the 29th minute, it was Ronald Araujo who was sent off by the referee for committing a foul as the last man. Barcola was the man who took advantage of the situation, pouncing on Araujo’s errant pass which led to the chance. Araujo pulled Barcola down, giving him an early exit to the stands, and giving Barca a monumental task of defending a 2 goal lead with only 10 men.
Looking back, Araujo didn’t have to pull Barcola down. He simply could’ve lived with the result, whatever it may have been, and moved on. But he got too aggressive and he was punished severely for it.
It was a shame too, because PSG found their first goal of the match 11 minutes later, as Ousmane Dembele connected on the end of a pass by Barcola — still don’t know how that pass got through by the way — and lifting a shot into the back of the net.
Barca suffered through some more PSG pressure before halftime arrived, with the score 1-1 and 4-3 on aggregate.
If Barca were to advance, they’d have to pull something miraculous out of their hat. But would they be capable of doing so? Well, only one way to find out.
Second half
The second half was…a disaster.
Barca succumbed to PSG’s pressure, allowing multiple chances and eventual goals as a result.
The first was a rocket by Vitinha, who beat Ter Stegen from distance to draw the tie level. The it was a penalty later on by Joao Cancelo that led to another goal, this time by Kylian Mbappe.
Then Mbappe finished it off in the dying moments of the match, killing Barca’s UCL hopes and killing whatever chances they had at a trophy this season.
This all happened in the midst of Barca creating some chances of their own, but not finishing them and leaving themselves in another hole to climb out of.
Final word
Crazy what a single red card can do to your fortunes, huh?
Barca looked spry, lively, and ready for the occasion early on. But on crucial mistake by Ronald Araujo ended all positive momentum Barca had, therefore killing off any positivity they had built previously.
This honestly sucks, it really does.
No other words really, just disappointment on a night that had the potential to be one full of triumph and joy. But instead, it’s more of the same pain, agony, and feelings of sadness that have dominated Barca’s recent history in Europe.
Onto the next one and hopefully that 6th UCL title will come next season.
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match will be on Sunday night when they take on Real Madrid.
It’ll be at the Santiago Bernabéu.
See you all then!
I’ve been a big time Barca fan since I was 14 years old. I love the club, the history, and the tradition that the club has built over its prestigious history. Forca Barca!
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