‘He killed the tie’ – Xavi brands referee a ‘disaster’ after Barcelona’s Champions League defeat to PSG with Blaugrana boss seeing red for furiously kicking camera cushion

Xavi branded the referee a “disaster” after Barcelona’s Champions League quarter-final loss to PSG, after Ronald Araujo’s “unnecessary expulsion”.

• • Barcelona’s hopes of advancing in the Champions League were dashed as they succumbed to a 6-4 aggregate defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals on Tuesday evening, leaving Xavi pointing fingers at the referee for their defeat. The manager believes that Araujo’s needless sending-off was a crucial point in the tie as the decision tilted the balance of the game heavily in favour of the visitors.

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  WHAT XAVI SAID

  Speaking after the match, Xavi said: “We are annoyed. The red card marked the tie. We were well organised 11 vs. 11. It completely changed everything. For me, it’s too much to send [Araujo] off there.

  “The referee was really bad. I told him, he was a disaster. He killed the tie. I don’t like speaking about referees but it has to be said. I don’t understand it. It’s not good going down to 10 players and from that point on it’s another game. For as much as we speak [about the match], the red card marks everything.”

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Referee Istvan Kovacs was indeed at the centre of attention as he brandished a total of twelve cards during the match, including three red cards – also counting the one to Xavi for violently protesting a decision that saw Barcelona being denied a penalty after Marquinhos brought down Ilkay Gundogan. The goalkeeping coach Jose Ramon de la Fuente was also shown red as he kept losing his cool.

  “That was an error by me, it was my fault,” added Xavi.

  “But) It is a shame that all the work of a season, because of a refereeing decision, finishes here. I would have liked to have played 11 v 11 against Luis Enrique and PSG [for] all the minutes of the game. We know that there are sendings off in football but I believe that this one [for Araujo] was unnecessary.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The final whistle saw Barcelona supporters in despair, players devastated on the pitch, and Xavi consoling his team in the aftermath of their defeat. The manager also walked up to the match referee and let his feelings known as he continued to fume at the official after a 10-man Barcelona got outplayed by Mbappe and Co. Nonetheless, Xavi has little time to grieve over their continental exit as they face a monumental clash against eternal rivals Real Madrid next in La Liga on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu.