The night did not end as they expected. Barcelona fans from top to bottom will need days to overcome the disappointment. When the clock at the Olympic facilities built in 1927 struck 9 p.m., it had been a while since the quieter fans had enjoyed an orange sunset, but with black clouds in the background as the footballers arrived at Montjuïc. Perhaps it was a sign of the Parisian storm. Others were overexcited. They demonstrated this by mistaking the Barça coach for the PSG coach and threw some objects at it. “Watch out, that’s Barça”, warned a few. And came the applause and the “come on, you can” and the “yes this year”. The gate of Montjuïc was illuminated. The arches, in blue. The outer white stone was gritty. It looked like the gateway to the semi-finals of the Champions League. People knew it, excited about it. Singing the hymn a cappella. It wasn’t Camp Nou. But almost The scoreboard hurt a lot.
It was particularly clear to Dembélé. He was never a very popular footballer. But the fact that he celebrated the goal in Paris as if he had won the Champions League is enough to take his hat off. “The world is full of ungrateful people”, said a spectator in the first stand. It was easy for Dembélé to recognize him. For the 10 he wears on his white shirt and for the boots of a very intense orange. His movements are unmistakable.
On the benches the two technicians acted aloof. Luis Enrique called for two goals from the assistants in the 8th minute. He placed them in the upper right corner of his technical area. Not an inch of margin. He quickly opened the first. The crowd didn’t boo him. But he didn’t devote his time to it either. When rivalry appears, affection goes out the window. And the case of the Asturian coach, who led Barça to their last Champions League to date with Xavi as captain, was no exception. “Respect and admiration, yes. Because of his past. Not because of his present”, recalled a fan. It was clear.
With Raphinha’s goal, the stadium collapsed. The Culerva fans left their seats. He waved the flags. And he silenced the boos of the 2,700 PSG fans with his applause. No one would have said that it would be the last goal of the night. The worst was to come. “Ouiii!!”, exclaimed the few PSG fans camouflaged in the Barcelona stands intercepted at the end by the club’s security when Araújo was sent off at half-time. “Grande Lamine”, dedicated the stand to the Barça pearl when Xavi called on Iñigo Martínez to defend better with 10. Luis Enrique had no water left when Dembélé scored. The Frenchman did not celebrate, and asked to continue. Contrary to the Asturian, crazy in his technical area. It was time to row. And the fans let their voices be heard to help Barça reach the top. The rest
The second half was no better. On the contrary When Mbappé scored and jumped the fence to celebrate with his fist in the air, the Blaugrana fell silent. “Allez París allez”, the French sang to their star. “You have to believe, let’s go”, shouted a fan after Lewandowski’s one-on-one with Donnaruma. Also with Raphinha’s. And with Gündogan’s. The last discharge of culer rage was for the change of Dembélé, applauded by Luis Enrique. Then came Mbappé’s second. The definitive 1-4. And there was the final silence. “Another year without anything”, sketched a fan. There is no trust in the League that is now passing through the Bernabéu. Another year of emptiness in Europe. The French disappointment was covered by the sound of the public address system in French. A female voice reminded them that they had to leave with a police escort. In the background, a red flare in the PSG area. And the notes of the saddest Barça Song with the desolate Barça players and Al Jelaïfi on the grass with Mbappé. end
