Barcelona’s hopes of Champions League glory came tumbling down on Tuesday night after being knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Paris Saint-Germain.
La Blaugrana took a 3-2 lead back to Catalonia with them from the first leg at Parc des Princes last week, and they were on course to book a place in the semi-finals after going 1-0 up in the return fixture.
However, a 29th-minute red card for Ronald Araujo changed the entire complexion of the evening. PSG were able to swarm the ten-men of Barcelona and score four times without further reply to snatch back that spot in the next round.
Who were Barcelona’s best and worst players up at Montjuic? Here are our picks, courtesy of 90min’s player ratings.
Lamine Yamal – 7/10
Admittedly, Lamine Yamal’s final rating is helped by the fact he was substituted for defender Inigo Martinez after 34 minutes to fill the gap left by Araujo’s red card, but what a 34 minutes they were.
The 16-year-old’s trademark fearlessness was on full display early in the evening, scampering away from Nuno Mendes and darting to the byline to cross for Raphinha’s deadlock breaker.
Barcelona sought to build on their lead and kill the tie completely, but were forced to take up a more conservative approach when reduced to ten men. Yamal, still barely an adult, was sacrificed. Barca’s collapse began from there.
Honourable mention
Ilkay Gundogan – 6/10
Barcelona’s young stars have needed an old head on the pitch to guide them through this testing season, and Ilkay Gundogan has played that role to perfection.
He was one of their only players to retain composure when PSG really amped up the pressure, and when Barcelona went behind, the main protagonist trying to bring them level again.
This leadership extended to his post-match interview, claiming his side lost their heads a little, but also claiming he should have won a penalty after being hauled down by Vitinha.
“Everything was in our hands and we just gave it away in the most simple manner. We just gave it to PSG and that’s the most disappointing thing,” he said.
Ronald Araujo – 2/10
It was a challenge Araujo should not have made. It was a challenge Araujo did not need to make.
With Bradley Barcola making a run towards goal, the Barcelona defender bundled him over on the edge of the box and was sent off for denying a clear…
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