The former Manchester City man believes his side ‘gave away’ a place in the Champions League semi-finals
Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan(Image credit: Getty Images)
Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan says his side ‘gave away’ a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The Catalans found themselves 4-2 up on aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain following Raphinha’s early goal at their temporary home ground of the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, before a Ronald Araujo red card was the catalyst for a dramatic comeback from the French side.
Goals from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha were followed by a brace from Kylian Mbappe as Luis Enrique masterminded a 6-4 aggregate win over his former side.
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez was sent off during the defeat (Image credit: Getty Images)
The nature of Barca’s capitulation meant that former Gundogan pulled no punches with his post-match verdict.
“I am disappointed,” the former Manchester City man told CBS. “Very disappointed actually as we were in such a good position.
“Not just after the first leg, but after the first goal we scored. Everything was in our hands and we just gave it away in the most simple of manners. We just gave it to Paris Saint-Germain and that's the most disappointing part.”
Gundogan then had specific criticism for Araujo, who was sent off on 29 minutes after bundling over Bradley Barcola just outside the area to deny the PSG forward a goalscoring opportunity, as he argued that the Uruguayan should have allowed the chance, rather than making a rash decision.
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Ronald Araujo was sent off before the half-hour mark (Image credit: PA)
“If he fouled him, I guess it's a red card,” the German continued. “I haven't seen the replay, I don't know. You guys probably know better than me.
“It's difficult to say. You know, in these kinds of crucial moments you need to be sure to get the ball. If you don't, and again I don't know if he touched the ball or not, you need to stay away.
“I would prefer to concede a goal there or give the striker 1v1. Although, the ball was played quite far ahead so I don't even know if he would have reached the ball. But, maybe let our goalkeeper save us or even concede a goal because to go a player down so early on just kills your game.”
This is not the first time that Gundogan has appeared to call out his Barcelona teammates.
Facing the media after a 2-1 El Clasico defeat at home to Real Madrid in October, Gundogan did not believe that losing to their bitter rivals hurt some of his fellow players enough.
“People are disappointed, but especially after such a game, such big games and such a result, I wish for more frustration, more anger, more disappointment,” he said. “This is a bit of a problem. I don’t know.
“They have to be more emotional, especially when you lose. When you know you can perform better and you do better in certain situations and you just don’t react and it transfers to pitch at the end of the day.
“I didn’t come here to lose these types of games.”
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
