The story is over. Barcelona has woken up from their treble dream at the hands of Inter Milan. The Catalan team deserved much more, but football is often cruel. On Tuesday, the game rewarded the team that put in the least effort, both in this match and throughout the knockout stages.
In a major shock to Barcelona fans, the Catalan club was eliminated from the Champions League by Inter Milan after a dramatic match that ended with the latter winning 4-3 on aggregate. Although Barcelona came close to reaching the final, defensive errors at crucial moments ended the Blaugrana’s dream of winning the European title.
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In the wake of this bitter defeat, Barcelona legend and all-time top scorer Lionel Messi dropped a bombshell, pointing to Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo as one of the main culprits in the elimination from the tournament. Messi said frankly in provocative statements:
“Araujo dramatically ruined Barcelona’s season. I warned him many times before, and Flick must admit his big mistake in playing him in this crucial match, while leaving someone better than him on the bench… and in the end, Barcelona paid the price!”
Araujo, who came on as a second-half substitute for Inigo Martínez, gave an unsatisfactory performance in the match. He was exposed defensively and made disastrous errors in the final minutes, leading to Barcelona conceding two fatal goals in stoppage time and at the start of the first period of extra time. These mistakes cost the team dearly, as they were denied a place in the Champions League final in a painful scenario.
But Messi didn’t limit his criticism to Araujo alone; he also directly pointed to Danish defender Andreas Christensen, who, according to Messi, was the better option in that match. He stated:
“Flick should have played Christensen in this match instead of Araujo. He has performed well in previous matches and would have been more effective in such circumstances.”
Hansi Flick’s decision to field Araujo in place of Christensen in such a crucial match raised many questions. Although Christensen had shown excellent performances in previous matches, the coach preferred to rely on Araujo, a decision that was a major reason for the team’s elimination from the tournament.
In this context, many believe that Andreas Christensen was the more appropriate choice, especially since he performed well against Valladolid, and his presence could have been more fitting for the nature of the match and the team’s needs at that time.
Messi’s discussion of this scenario clearly reflects the anger and frustration that prevailed among players and fans after the European exit. The match was a turning point in Barcelona’s season, requiring a comprehensive review of many technical decisions and tactical choices in the future.
