"You didn't concede because you were playing with 10 men" – Thierry Henry sends harsh reminder to Barcelona after UEFA Champions League exit
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has slammed Barcelona for their nervy performance in a 4-1 UEFA Champions League quarter-final defeat against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Tuesday (April 16).
The Blaugrana, who entered their recent continental tie with a 3-2 lead, slumped to a dispiriting defeat in front of their fans against PSG. They failed to book a last-four spot against Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund due to their 6-4 aggregate loss to the Ligue 1 champions.
After Raphinha's 12th-minute opener, Barcelona lost Ronald Araujo to a red card in the 29th minute of the Champions League contest. Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha netted once each for the visitors while Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe scored a brace to seal the win.
Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry ranted about his former team's error-prone outing at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. He opined:
"You have to be good, you can't mistakes in the Champions League. If you make mistakes, you will pay the price straightaway. That is why it's so hard to win that competition because you cannot make one mistake."
Henry, who won the Champions League with the Catalans, continued:
"Barcelona deserved to go down to 10 men, that penalty [in the 61st minute] was a penalty. But that doesn't mean you have to concede goals. You didn't concede those goals because you were playing with 10 men, it's because you started to panic."
Stating that the La Liga outfit panicked against PSG, Henry concluded:
"You cannot be a champion when you panic. I don't care who you are, you cannot panic in difficult situations because it will creep on you and the next thing you know, momentum is with PSG. Just like how it went to Dortmund in the other [last-eight] game [against Atletico Madrid] and you find yourself out of the competition."
Xavi Hernandez makes massive claim after Barcelona's recent Champions League exit
During a post-game press conference, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez stated that his side were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League due to the referee. He said (h/t Fabrizio Romano):
"It's a pity, our Champions League is over due to referee's mistake."
Asked why he was sent off in the second half on Tuesday, Xavi replied:
"I just told the referee that he's been a disaster. It's the reality."
During their clash against PSG, Barcelona relished 33% possession and recorded seven shots compared to the visitors' 21 shots on goal.
The Blaugrana will next be in action against current La Liga leaders Real Madrid in their clash at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday (April 21).