Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gündogan attributed their loss in the Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain to a crucial error made by Ronald Araujo.
Gündogan stated that they conceded the game “in the simplest manner,” implying that Araujo’s mistake was costly.
Barcelona held a 3-2 advantage from the first leg in Paris and took an early lead through Raphinha’s goal in the 12th minute at the Olympic Stadium.
However, their momentum shifted when Araújo was shown a red card for a last-man challenge on Bradley Barcola after just half an hour of play.
PSG capitalized on the numerical advantage to secure a 4-1 victory on the night, advancing 6-4 on aggregate and booking a spot in the semi-final against Borussia Dortmund.
“If he fouled him, I guess it’s a red card. I haven’t seen the replay. It’s difficult to say, in these crucial moments, you need to be sure to get the ball.
“If you don’t get it, and I don’t know if he did, you have to stay away.
“I prefer to concede a goal there or to leave the striker one on one, even though he played the ball quite far ahead, so I don’t know if he would reach the ball. But let the goalkeeper have a chance to save us or even concede a goal.
“To get a red card, to go a player down so early, it just kills the game,” Gundogan told CBS.
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