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Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araújo received a straight red card in the 29th minute of the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain. His sending off for a foul on Bradley Barcola left La Blaugrana with only 10 players on the field while they still had a two-goal lead on aggregate.
After the match ended in a 4-1 loss for the La Liga side (6-4 loss on aggregate), Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan addressed Araújo's red card and said (via Eurosport):
"Yeah, [the red card changed the game]. This is the Champions League. No matter who the opponent is, in such a tie, such an important game, going one man down so early... it's impossible, then you are out, unfortunately."
Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol recently offered his opinion on Gundogan's statement and said (via @BarcaTimes on X):
"Everyone is free to say what they want. I am in favour of talking about problems in the dressing room. Gundogan has given his opinion without having bad intentions."
Ronald Araújo did not make a comment on his teammate's opinion and said (via Forbes):
"I prefer to keep to myself what I think about Gundogan's statements. I have codes and values that have to be respected."
While making the statement, the former Manchester City player expressed disappointment in both his teammates and the referee, who did not rule a penalty in the German's favor in the second half. Gundogan said:
"Very frustrated. Very disappointed. It really felt like that we had full control of the game. Started with a one-goal lead, and then after 10-15 it just felt like we destroyed ourselves."
After Ronald Araújo was given the red card, Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé netted the first goal for the French club in 40th minute. Vitinha scored the second goal in the 54th minute, followed by Kylian Mbappe netting two goals, including a penalty (61', 89').
Barcelona manager received red card in the UCL quarter-finals
Barca manager Xavi Hernandez was given a red card in the second half after he protested the decision of the on-field referee and VAR to not grant a penalty for a challenge by Marquinhos on Gundogan. Barcelona's goalkeeping coach, Jose Ramon de la Fuente, was also sent off.
In the post-match conference, he addressed the referee's decisions and expressed his disapproval. Xavi said (via journalist Fabrizio Romano on X):
“It’s a pity, our Champions League is over due to referee’s mistake. I just told the referee that he’s been a disaster. It’s the reality."
Barcelona are currently second in the La Liga table with 70 points from 31 matches. In their last five league fixtures, the Catalans have one draw and four wins. They face arch-rivals and table-toppers Real Madrid next in the league.
