Furious fans say Barcelona ‘robbed’ by controversial red card in PSG clash as Ronald Araujo sent off
The red card had huge repercussions almost immediately
FURIOUS fans reckon Barcelona were “robbed” after Ronald Araujo was sent off in their dismal defeat Paris Saint-Germain.
The defender received his marching orders around the half hour mark with Barcelona leading 1-0 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate before a stunning PSG turnaround.
The hosts went ahead through Raphinha’s 12th-minute strike to double their advantage following last week’s 3-2 win in Paris.
But despite cruising, Barca had a moment of madness as their high line allowed PSG star Barcola to charge down on goal.
Araujo gave chase and eventually caught the winger on the edge of his box.
The Uruguayan tugged on Barcola’s shoulder, bringing the French winger down.
The foul saw the ref immediately blow his whistle, albeit for a free-kick and not a penalty.
But what happened next left Araujo and his Barca team-mates shocked as the referee produced a red card.
He deemed the centre-back to be the last man when fouling Barcola, despite Araujo being adamant Pau Cubarsi was rushing in to cover from the other side of the box.
However, Barcelona’s protests fell on deaf ears as Araujo was ordered off the field, leaving Xavi Hernandez’s men facing a tough task against speedsters Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
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Some fans certainly felt the red card shown was harsh, especially with the argument for Cubarsi as the final man.
One said: “That’s not a red card for me, so soft.”
Another declared: “That’s harsh, Barca can feel hard done by.”
One noted: “That’s never a red card, Barcelona have been robbed.”
But one fan felt it was the right decision to send Araujo off, adding: “Correct call, it’s a last man foul, no defender is getting there in time.”
Araujo’s red card left PSG chasing a two-goal deficit against 10 men.
And they soon made their advantage count as Dembele struck against his old club with just minutes of the first half remaining.
Xavi Hernandez was soon sent off for Barca after suffering a fit of rage.
And PSG only twisted the knife as they eventually levelled the tie thanks to a long-range strike from Vitinha.
Kylian Mbappe then gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot.
And he put the game to bed late on as he pounced on a goal-line scramble to set up a semi-final tie against Borussia Dortmund.
