The night did not end as 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 9:00 p.m., the calmest fans had long ago enjoyed an orange sunset but with black clouds in the background while the footballers arrived at Montjuïc. Maybe it was a sign of the Parisian storm. Others were overexcited. They showed it when they mistook the Barça bus for that of PSG and threw some objects at it. “Be careful, it’s Barça,” a few warned. And the applause came and the “come on, you can do it” and “this year yes”. The Montjuïc gate was illuminated. The arches, in blue. The outer white stone was scarlet. It seemed like the gateway to the Champions League semi-finals. The people knew it, excited to rage. Singing the hymn a cappella. It wasn’t the Camp Nou. But almost. The score hurt a lot.
It was especially clear to Dembélé. He was never a well-liked footballer. But for him to celebrate the goal in Paris as if he had won the Champions League is already big words. “The world is full of ungrateful people,” said a spectator in the first stands. It was easy to recognize Dembélé. Because of the 10 that his white t-shirt shows off and because of his very bright orange boots. His movements are unmistakable.
On the benches, both technicians hugged each other at the beginning. Then they acted distant. Luis Enrique in the 8th minute of the game asked his assistants for two waters. He placed them in the upper right corner of his technical area. Not an inch of margin. He quickly opened the first one. The public did not boo him. But he didn’t give it his time either. When rivalry appears, affection goes out the window. And the case of the Asturian coach, who led Barça to its 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 one fan. Understood.
With Raphinha’s goal the stadium collapsed. The culé fans left their seats. He waved his flags. And he silenced the boos of the 2,700 PSG fans with his applause. Nobody would have said that it would be the last culé goal of the night. The worst was yet to come. “Oww!! exclaimed the few PSG fans camouflaged in the Barcelona stands, intercepted at the end by the club’s security when Araújo was sent off half an hour into the game. “Grande Lamine”, he dedicated the stands to the Barça pearl when Xavi called Iñigo Martínez to defend better with 10. Luis Enrique had no water left when Dembélé scored. The Frenchman did not celebrate it, and he asked to continue. Quite the opposite of the Asturian, crazy in his technical area. He had to row. And the fans left their voice to help Barça reach the first shore. The one of rest.
The second half was not better. When Mbappé scored and jumped over the fence to celebrate with his fist in the air, there was silence from the Blaugrana. “Allez Paris allez,” the French sang to their star. “You have to believe, come on,” shouted a fan after Lewandowski’s one-on-one with Donnaruma. Also with Raphinha’s. And with Gündogan’s.
The last outburst of culé rage was for the change of Dembélé, applauded by Luis Enrique. Then came Mbappé’s second. The definitive 1-4. And there was definitive silence. “One more year without anything,” outlined one fan. There is no confidence in the League that now passes through the Bernabéu. One more year of emptiness in Europe. The culé 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 Cant with the Barça players devastated and with Al Jelaifi on the grass next to Mbappé. End.