Despite losing 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park, Barcelona advanced to the UEFA Champions League semi-final. In the first leg, Hansi Flick’s team established a substantial enough advantage to advance with a 5-3 aggregate score.
The same team who defeated the Spanish powerhouses 4-0 at Camp Nou outplayed them for the full ninety minutes. Leading lights Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha all had memorable nights in Germany, but another Barcelona regular has drawn harsh criticism from fans.
That man was Ronald Araujo, a central defender who, not for the first time, had a memorable night on the European scene. The Uruguayan international battled in a crucial knockout match once more after being sent off in the previous season’s competition when Barcelona was eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain.
Araujo’s Struggles as Barcelona Limp Over the Line
Barca’s captain had a shocker
The high-line that Araujo and his teammates were playing was the main problem. Flick is adamant that his players strive to play the opposition offside and get up on the pitch early. Even though this occasionally worked, Dortmund gained confidence in the few instances they managed to get past the defence.
One of Serhou Guirassy’s three goals came from an error made by Araujo himself, and another resulted in a shooting. In addition, the large defender gave up possession eight times, which is a very high number for a centre-back. The Dortmund team’s strong press deserves some of the credit, although Araujo occasionally exacerbated his own issues.
The 25-year-old did win five of his six duels, to his credit. Online Barcelona supporters, however, have expressed their opinions about the player who had the lowest rating on either side from SofaScore (5.9).
Barca Fans Demand Arujo is Sold After UCL Horror Show
‘We can still make good money’
One fan, who was quick to take to the internet to attack Araujo, was dissatisfied with his contributions and insisted that he be sent out this summer along with two other senior players: “Araujo and De Jong should be shipped off this summer alongside Ter Stegen.” The sooner, the better.
“We can still make good money shipping Araujo,” others said, while another added, “Get Gerard Martin and Araujo outside my club immediately.” Some fans weren’t nearly so composed in their opinions; one furious supporter yelled, “Sell Araujo in the summer, sell sell, sell, F****** SELL.”
One
One X user questioned, “Why is Araujo always having these kinda moments in UCL nights?” citing the PSG catastrophe from the same competition a year prior. One last advocate was harsh in his evaluation:
“Hopefully, we won’t see Araujo in red and blue again after this season. He is now completely in the Lenglet x Matthieu stage of disaster. With him, you’re never safe. What a horror.
xz
