"Has earned all of our respect", "Ran his lungs out today" - Fans praise Barcelona star despite loss to PSG
Fans were impressed with Barcelona winger Raphinha's performance during the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals despite their journey ending with a 4-6 aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Tuesday (April 16).
While Barcelona won the first leg 3-2 on April 10, they lost 1-4 in the second leg. Raphinha netted three goals in the two games. Fans flooded social media with posts appreciating the 27-year-old Brazilian. Here is a collection of their reactions on X:
One fan wrote:
"Raphinha has earned all of our respect. heartbroken for him."
Another added:
"The guy gave his all and more."
"He was our best player tonight. Can't thank him enough," another fan chimed in.
One post read:
"Incredible performance by raphinha in both the legs of quarter finals. He literally ran his lungs out today, covered a lot of ground and created chances. But that red card ruined everything"
"No one should dare talk down on Raphinha for any future mistake. You don't even have the right to. Yes, not anymore You all disappointed him big time!," read another.
One user said:
"We love you raphinha. Now next season again This is pain. I know Barca have been loosing the most important games because they lack concentration and are always over excited"
Barcelona have not had a great run in the UEFA Champions League for a while now. The last time they reached the semifinals was in the 2018-19 season. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2019-20, followed by a round-of-16 exit in the next season. The Catalans have not gone beyond the group stage in the last two seasons.
Barcelona's current standing in La Liga
Barcelona rank second on the La Liga table with 70 points in 31 matches. In their last five league fixtures, the Blaugrana have one draw and four wins. They face arch-rivals Real Madrid next in the league on Sunday (April 21).
Barcelona have an eight-point difference with La Liga table-toppers Los Blancos, with seven league matches remaining. Claiming the league title is the Catalan's only chance to win silverware this season.
Both teams last met in January this year in the Supercopa de España final, where Barca lost 1-4.