PSG winger reveals how he forced Barcelona defender into a ‘mistake’ leading to red card

Barcelona suffered a disastrous 1-4 defeat at home to PSG last week in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinals leading to their elimination.

Having come away with a win from the first leg in Paris and then scored early in the second leg, Barcelona had one foot through the door into the semifinals.

However, half an hour into the game, Ronald Araujo saw a red card for a last-man foul on Bradley Barcola, which changed the entire complexion of the contest.

PSG were all over Barcelona from that point and capitalised on their numerical advantage to bag a win and eliminate the Catalans from the competition.

Bradley Barcola acknowledges forcing Araujo red card

Now, speaking to BFM.tv (h/t SPORT), Bradley Barcola has opened up on how he forced Araujo into committing a foul on him leading to the Barcelona defender’s sending off at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

The PSG winger said that he had already had this move in mind, after he had a very similar one-on-one with Araujo in the first leg, in which the Uruguayan beat him.

The action that led to Araujo’s sending off. (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

And when Nuno Mendes intercepted Araujo’s pass and PSG were through on goal, it was clear to Barcola that he had to cross into the path of the Barça centre-back.

“I knew that Araujo was going very fast and in that action, I told myself that I was going to pass in front of him. Because in the first leg, I had a similar action and I didn’t get to do it,” explains Barcola.

“He caught me there, so I told myself that I was going to pass directly in front of him. I knew I could make him commit a mistake or I’d be one-on-one with the keeper.”

Further discussing the Barcelona game, the young attacker admitted that PSG were unfazed despite going behind early in the second leg through Raphinha’s goal.

“When we concede a goal, I have a habit of looking at my team-mates to see their faces. And I didn’t see any doubts. I didn’t even feel a little bit of fear. That was reassuring, because I told myself that we were still convinced,” he said.