Gündogan not tender with Araujo on the action of his red card

Ronald Araujo was guilty of an ugly foul on Bradley Barcola and was sent off on Tuesday (29th) during the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final between FC Barcelona and PSG. After the Catalan elimination, İlkay Gündogan regretted the selection of his teammate, believing that the red card had “killed” his team.

Winner of the Champions League with Manchester City last season, İlkay Gündoğan will not win the trophy in his first year with FC Barcelona. This Tuesday, the Catalan club were thrashed (4-1) by PSG during a quarter-final return, enough to lament the German midfielder.

The game changed with the red card Ronald Araujo (29th) was shown for a foul on Bradley Barcola. “I’m disappointed, very disappointed because we were in such a good position, not only after the first leg but also after the first goal we scored,” commented Gündoğan. “Everything was in our hands and we just gave it to PSG. We did it in the simplest way. It’s the most disappointing.”

“I prefer to concede a goal”

Unlike Xavi, his coach, İlkay Gündoğan did not want to criticize the referee’s decision regarding this red given to Araujo. The 33-year-old appeared to disagree with his team-mate’s risky intervention. “It’s hard to say, I think in these crucial moments you have to be very sure when you intervene, when you go after the ball. I don’t know if he touches the ball or not. But I prefer to take a goal or even with assigning a one-on-one I prefer to give the goalkeeper the opportunity to stop him, or even give him the goal honestly.

“Getting a red card so early in the game, it kills you,” summed up the experienced Gündoğan, captain of Manchester City last season. For the Catalans, we need to raise our heads quickly with a Clasico to be played this Sunday in La Liga, at the Real Madrid pitch. At the end of the season, Barça only have the championship to play for. With seven days to go, the Blaugrana club are eight points behind their Madrid rivals.