‘I don’t understand the referee’s decision‘ — Barcelona captain baffled by match official’s ruling just before Newcastle goal | OneFootball

FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick was forced to make some last-minute changes to his starting lineup for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Newcastle United, as Eric Garcia suffered from a discomfort, and Ronald Araujo played in his stead.

Thus, the Uruguayan got a good opportunity to strengthen his status in Flick’s plans, but unfortunately, things did not pan out too well for him. In fact, he was out of place when the Catalans conceded the only goal of the game.

The defender suffered from cramps while attacking in the opposition box, and got out of the pitch while trying to attack the ball. However, he crouched back onto the pitch to avoid the opposition from launching an attack with him out of action, but the referee sent him out again. He was unable to return to the pitch for some seconds, and this margin proved to be crucial in the end.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the defender talked to the media after the match and complained about the referee’s actions regarding him:

“If I’m cramping, I can enter the field standing or crawling. I don’t understand the referee’s decision; he sent me out again. Afterwards, I couldn’t get to the area. I don’t understand the referee’s decision.”

Still, the Uruguayan was happy with the 1-1 draw away from home:

“I’m happy with the result. We found the equalizer in the end. We didn’t play as well as we wanted. We have to highlight what we learned in the Cup, the 4-0 against Atlético. Today we were smart. In the Champions League, you have to be. Now we play at home, with our fans. It will be a great match.”

Araujo recognized that Barcelona were not able to implement their preferred game plan:

“We wanted to threaten higher up, keep more possession. We played against a great opponent, with the stadium pressing. It was a tough match. We leave with good feelings, because it will be decided at home.”

The defender pointed to fatigue as a cause for the team’s poor performance:

“It’s the result of high-intensity matches.”

Regarding himself, he was clear that he is feeling better now:

“With continuity, I feel better. I have to be ready for when it’s my turn. I felt good today.”

Hopefully, this will only be a learning experience for the defender, and Ronald Araujo would continue getting better and return in a stronger fashion for Barcelona.