Obviously, the media evokes the fact of the match which changed everything for the Ile-de-France residents. “The elusive Bradley Barcola was the big turning point in this match. Heading straight for goal, the Parisian left winger was unbalanced entering the area by Araujo (30th). Mr. Kovacs did not hesitate to directly show the red card and send off the Uruguayan international who was holding Barça's house in defense as on the first leg at the Parc des Princes.”
For his part, the Parisian evokes the crazy scenario of the two meetings between PSG and Barça. “With ten goals in two matches and in less than a week, PSG and Barcelona delivered a total spectacle, two great football matches, certainly imperfect in their content, but as crazy as they are stunning. They enter the legend of the capital club, like the epics of the 1990s on Canal +, with songs that we will be able to watch again for a long time on the internet and that will be passed down from generation to generation.”
FC Barcelona – Paris SG: proof that this Paris has grown a lot
For RMC Sports, PSG has become “the black beast of Barcelona”. An impression confirmed by an Opta statistic since the Ile-de-France residents eliminated the Catalans for the third time in their history in the Champions League. The capital's team therefore becomes the one that has most often defeated the Catalans in direct confrontations in the big-eared cup.
An elimination that goes badly in Spain
The discourse is different in Catalonia. Especially for the Sport newspaper. “PSG, the referee and the errors wake Barça from its European dream”, he headlines after the 1-4 defeat. In its pages, journalists believe that the arbitration was “very severe when excluding Araujo”. Mundo Deportivo goes even further and mentioned “A suspicious arbitration”.
Mundo Deportivo also explains that it had become “impossible mission” after Araujo's red card. “The television replay shows that Araujo, with his backward position, places his arm on the left shoulder of the PSG forward and he, after noticing the contact, jumps.he continues, bitter.
On Cadena SER, Catalan television, a former referee also deplored this decision. “It's not even a fault. PSG goes on the counter and Barcola launches on Araujo”, begins Eduardo Iturralde González. “The referee did not consult the VAR because it confirmed that the decision was correct. Kovacs’ decision was therefore validated”finishes the man in black who whistled three Clasicos during his career.
Another decision startled the newspaper. “The referee then did not give a penalty for Vitinha's contact with Gündogan and at the end of the match, he handed out cards left and right”writes Mundo Deportivo.
Paris SG – FC Barcelona: when Xavi traps Luis Enrique in a real coaching match
Marca emphasizes another fact: PSG becomes the bane of FCB. “PSG again”, headlines the pro-Madrilenian media. “Once again, the French team stands in the way of Barça in Europe. The last time the Catalans made it past the group stage was during the 20-21 campaign. And it was PSG who stopped their trajectory. This time it was in the quarter-finals. The ghosts of the Champions League have not completely disappeared from the Barcelona imagination.”
