Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has attributed his team’s Champions League elimination to poor refereeing decisions following a 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Olympic Stadium, which saw the Catalans crash out 6-4 on aggregate.
Barcelona initially took the lead in the tie after just 12 minutes, with Raphinha finishing a well-crafted cross from Lamine Yamal, giving the Blaugrana a two-goal advantage in the aggregate.
However, the match turned decisively against them when Ronald Araujo was sent off in the 29th minute for a foul on Bradley Bracola. From that point, Barcelona lost control of the game, conceding four goals and allowing PSG to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Speaking to the press after the match, Xavi was highly critical of the refereeing, insisting that the decisions significantly impacted the outcome. “It’s a pity, our Champions League is over due to the referee’s mistake. I just told the referee that he’s been a disaster. It’s the reality,” Xavi said. The coach himself was also booked for dissent in the 56th minute, while Kylian Mbappe went on to score twice, cementing PSG’s semi-final berth.
The defeat marks a bitter blow for Barcelona, who had the chance to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in five seasons. It also mirrored past disappointments against PSG in the knockout stages, highlighting ongoing struggles in Europe for the Spanish side.
With the El Clasico approaching, Xavi now faces the task of rallying his players to bounce back from a heavy defeat and maintain their challenge in La Liga, where consistency will be key to salvaging the season.
