Barcelona lost at least 62.5 million euros in the Champions League, Xavi angrily scolded the referee: the red card is too strict, and his performance is a disaster
The second leg of the Champions League 1/4 finals was played in the early morning of April 17, Beijing time, Barcelona won 3-2 in the first leg, and led 1-0 soon after the opening of the second leg. Paris boss Luis Enrique also became the first former Barcelona manager to knock out Barcelona in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Barcelona had just 32.7 per cent possession, their lowest since the Champions League was available. In the other game, Borussia Dortmund won 4-2 at home and beat Atletico Madrid 5-4 over two legs to advance to the last four of the Champions League.
Barcelona was reversed and missed the Champions League top 4 according to Visual China
The turning point of the game between Barcelona and Paris came in the 29th minute of the first half, when Barcelona had a 1-0 lead, and the aggregate score was 2 goals ahead, in the 29th minute, Barcola was pulled down from behind by Araujo with a single chance, and the Romanian referee Kovac decisively awarded a red card for the first time, and VAR intervened to confirm the red card + free kick.
Araujo dyed red and sent off according to IC photo
Barcelona, who played one less player, was unable to parry in the following game, and was hit by the veteran Dembele in the first half, the score was pulled 1-1, and 3 goals were scored in the second half, of which Mbappe scored twice, and finally Barcelona lost 1-4, and was eliminated with an aggregate score of 4-6.
After the game, Barcelona coach Xavi angrily scolded the referee, "Dissatisfied, angry. 11 against 11 we were very well organised. It was too strict for me to blow a red card, it wasn't good to play with 10 men, and after that the game was a different story. We were a little hesitant to make a substitution because Pedri had just recovered. We wanted Pedri to keep the ball and Raphinha and we went with Yamal as well. No matter how much we say, that eviction means everything. If Gundogan and Lewandowski had scored, we could have equalised, but 10 men are always complicated. It's a shame that a season's hard work ended because of a miscalculation, I prefer 11 to 11 and that expulsion was unnecessary. ”
Xavi also angrily said: "I told the referee that he was terrible and it was a disaster. He killed the game, and that changed everything. I don't like to talk about referees, but we have to say it, we can't be silent. ”
Xavi was interviewed after the game
Atletico and Barcelona were both eliminated from the competition, and at the same time, Barcelona's six-point European coefficient behind Atletico Madrid could not make up for it, and Atletico Madrid eliminated from the Champions League but still qualified directly for the Club World Cup.
2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 1 point for advancing to the next round. If Atletico are eliminated and Barcelona advance, Barca's disadvantage could be narrowed to three points. In the case of a tie, the team with the most points in the season will advance. In such a situation, Barcelona's qualification for the Champions League final would be enough for them to qualify for the last 32 of the Club World Cup.
According to previous reports, the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States will be extremely rich, with a total prize fund of about 2.5 billion euros, and the first 2 billion euros will be distributed to the 32 participating teams. Thus, the teams that qualify for the tournament will receive a minimum of €50 million, along with other merit-based bonuses, with the winner receiving around €100 million.
In addition, there will be 12.5 million euros in prize money to advance from the quarter-finals of the Champions League, 20 million euros in prize money if you win the final, and 15.5 million euros in the runner-up. But all this has come to naught, Araujo's red card can be said to be a turning point in the two-legged match, and finally Barcelona went out of the Champions League and missed the Club World Cup, missing out on at least 62.5 million euros, which is a lot of money for Barcelona in the economic quagmire.
At present, 22 of the 32 quota places for the 2025 Club World Cup have been confirmed, of which 11 have been confirmed for Europe. If Arsenal are eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Salzburg will secure a place in the Club World Cup. Only by winning the Champions League this season will Arsenal qualify for the Club World Cup.
22 teams have qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup:
Africa: Vidad (Morocco), Cairo nationals (Egypt)
Asia: Riyadh Crescent (Saudi Arabia), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)
Europe: Chelsea (England), Real Madrid (Spain), Manchester City (England), Bayern Munich (Germany), Paris (France), Inter Milan (Italy), Porto (Portugal), Benfica (Portugal), Borussia Dort (Germany), Juventus (Italy), Atletico Madrid (La Liga)
North and Central America & the Caribbean: Monterrey (Mexico), Seattle Sounders (USA), León (Mexico)
Oceania: Auckland City (New Zealand)
South America: Palmeiras (Brazil), Flamengo (Brazil), Fluminense (Brazil)
2025世俱杯名额分配>>>
AFC: 4
CAF: 4
CONCACAF (CONCACAF Football): 4
South American Football Confederation: 6
Oceania Football Confederation: 1
UEFA: 12
Host: 1
Edited by Cheng Li