“There was nothing he could do” - PSG star Bradley Barcola sheds light on how he managed to get Ronald Araujo sent off vs Barcelona
PSG star Bradley Barcola recently spoke about Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo's infamous red card in the Champions League quarter-finals second leg on April 16. The French club went on to defeat Barcelona 4-1 in the match (6-4 aggregate).
Speaking to RMC Sport (cited by Mundo Deportivo), Barcola explained how he managed to send off Araujo during the game. Barcola intentionally left Araujo with two options: either a direct shot at the goal or a foul.
“I knew Araújo was very quick. When I saw him coming, I anticipated what would happen. I had a similar situation in the first leg, but I didn’t handle it well. So, it caught up with me. I wondered what would happen to him, knowing there was nothing he could do. It was either a foul or I would be through on goal,” Barcola said.
After Araujo fouled Barcola right outside the penalty box in the 29th minute, he was shown a red card by referee Istvan Kovacs. The Blaugrana were up 1-0 when Araujo was sent off and conceded four goals while playing with 10 men, leading to a disappointing exit from the Champions League.
Paris St-Germain are set to face Borussia Dortmund in the UCL semi-finals in the upcoming month while Barcelona are headed towards a trophyless season after being knocked out of the UCL and losing 3-2 to La Liga table leaders Real Madrid on April 21.
Ronald Araujo apologized to Barcelona fans after receiving a red card against PSG
Following the Catalan club's 4-1 loss to PSG at home, Ronald Araujo wrote an apology on Instagram to the fans for not giving them "joy." He said the game that once gave him "so much joy" is now hitting him hard.
"Football that gave me so much joy, is now hitting me hard. I thank all those who are unconditionally by my side, my teammates who left everything on the field, and the fan who believed in this team until the end. I'm so sorry for not giving you this joy. We'll try this again. Go Barça, now and forever," he wrote (Translated from Spanish via Instagram).
Araujo's post came after Barcelona's disappointing loss in the UCL quarter-final second leg. They won 3-2 in the first leg vs PSG on April 10. This season marked the Catalan club's first qualification to the quarter-final stage since 2020.
Following Araujo's sending-off on April 16, Barcelona conceded their first goal after PSG forward Ousmane Dembele scored against his former club in the 40th minute. Dembele has been exceptional opposite Barca in both legs, scoring one goal each.
PSG took the lead after Vitinha scored the second goal (54') of the night. The Blaugrana conceded a penalty soon after Joao Cancelo fouled Dembele. Kylian Mbappe converted the penalty in the 61st minute, shattering Barca's hopes of gaining a semi-final spot. Mbappe scored another goal in the 89th minute, leading PSG to victory.