Despite losing in the Champions League once again, Barcelona finds dignity

Barcelona had another Champions League hangover on Wednesday, waking up with a familiar depressing sensation after Paris Saint-Germain hammered them 4-1 at home to send them out of the quarterfinals.

The five-time winners expanded the list after a run of painful European eliminations; hence, their wait to hoist the trophy will now span at least 10 years. Nevertheless, this time around, Barcelona may discover glimmer of hope and pride among the rubble.

Raphinha’s early goal and PSG’s 3-2 victory in Paris gave them a two-goal lead in the match, but Ronald Araujo’s red card after 29 minutes made it impossible for Barcelona to contain the superior attacking players of PSG.

PSG’s victory against Barcelona and 6-4 overall resulted from goals from Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, and Kylian Mbappe. This ended the Catalans’ comeback and ended their 13-game winning streak.

The media in Madrid was ecstatic with Mbappe’s performance in the knockout, anticipating his summer transfer to the Spanish metropolis.

The headline read, “Mbappe kills Barca,” in AS. Instead, in Catalonia, attention was drawn to Araujo’s red card after 29 minutes, which helped PSG win.

Diario Sport described it as “dismissed from Europe,” while Mundo Deportivo called it a “lethal red”.

Notwithstanding the unappealing scoreline and the bitter feeling of loss after being swept aside by Mbappe on home ground, there were distinctions.

Barcelona had psychologically given up after they blew sizable leads against Roma and Liverpool in 2018 and 2019.

When Bayern Munich crushed them 8-2 in 2020, they displayed the same vulnerability, and the years that followed have somehow been even more humiliating.

In a match that hardly qualified as a game, PSG crushed them 4-1 in the first leg of the 2021 round of sixteen, and in the next two seasons, they were unable to get out of their group.

Barcelona competed admirably against the top teams in Europe this season, and they may have advanced if Araujo hadn’t been fired.

“We are a club, a team in construction, constructing something that could be fruitful and beautiful,” Xavi told the media.

“We’ve faced off against elite teams like Porto, Napoli, and PSG, and we were superior—at least up until certain uncontrollable choices or events.

“From these situations is when you learn most, unfortunately, in life, and in football too.”

“Back stronger”

Up until Araujo’s red card, the hosts had defended well even though PSG had more of the possession and were pressuring Barca hard, with the excellent Bradley Barcola making inroads down the left.

“Today playing with 10 against 11 is practically impossible,” Xavi said.

“I’m very proud of the fans, we’ve got a bit of the excitement and hope back in the Champions League — the club will be back, stronger still.”

Xavi said he won’t be since he made the decision to go at the conclusion of the season in January. Though there were whispers that he could reconsider in light of the team’s remarkable turnaround, he hasn’t done so yet.

Even though Mbappe’s goal in the 89th minute converted PSG’s victory into a blowout, Barcelona was not exposed on this particular night.

They were undone by Araujo’s blunder in taking down Barcola and Joao Cancelo’s defensive blunders; rookie defender Pau Cubarsi, 17, tried his best to fill in after that.

16-year-old Lamine Yamal beautifully set up Raphinha for the game’s opening goal, but when Araujo was sent off, Yamal was sacrificed, depriving Barcelona of attacking options.

With those two youthful talents, Pedri, and the sidelined Gavi and Alejandro Balde, Barcelona has a chance to make a big comeback.

Xavi’s tantrum that resulted in his dismissal and his insistence on calling the referee “very bad” were the only things that embarrassed him.

And a few Barca fans who, upon arriving, mistaken the team’s bus for PSG’s and pelted stones at it.

If not, Barcelona will use their performance in the Champions League this season as proof that they are making a comeback to the top of Europe when they get back up.

Considering their financial problems and the lack of a clear strategy for Xavi’s successor for the next season, it remains to be seen whether they can make a lasting impression there.