"Players like him make you hate the sport", "Will never ever forgive him" - Fans slam Barcelona star after UCL S/F loss to Inter Milan
Fans online ripped into Ronald Araujo for his performance in the UEFA Champions League semifinal second-leg clash between Barcelona and Inter Milan on Tuesday (May 6). The defender failed to impress in the 44 minutes he spent on the pitch, as Barcelona fell to a 4-3 defeat at San Siro after 120 minutes of play.
Following a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg at Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys on April 30, a win in the second leg was necessary for either side to secure a spot in the 2024-25 UCL final.
Barcelona started the game by dictating proceedings, but a lapse in concentration bit them midway through the first half, and they found themselves behind in the 21st minute. Federico Dimarco dispossessed Dani Olmo in midfield and found an advancing Denzel Dumfries, who subsequently squared it to Lautaro Martinez to tap into an empty net.
Inter doubled their lead before the break, as Hakan Calhanoglu converted from the spot (45+1'). Barcelona came into the second half more determined and were back on level terms exactly at the hour mark, thanks to goals from Eric Garcia (54') and Olmo (60').
The game turned on its head when Raphinha arrowed a rebound into the far corner in the 87th minute. It looked like Barcelona had booked their spot in Munich, only for Francesco Acerbi to equalize in added time (90+3') and force an extra 30 minutes. Inter looked livelier when play resumed, and they got themselves back in the lead when Davide Frattesi struck in the 99th minute.
Barcelona huffed and puffed for an equalizer in the remaining minutes, but it never came, which meant a seven-goal thriller ended in Inter’s favor to give them an aggregate 7-6 victory and a spot in the final.
While the visitors fought throughout 120 minutes, Araujo had a night to forget. The Uruguayan didn’t mark Acerbi enough to stop him from equalizing in regulation time. He was also outwitted by Marcus Thuram in the build-up to Inter’s fourth goal.
After the match, fans criticize Araujo on X, with one writing:
''Players like araujo make you hate the sport. the anger boiling inside of me right now isn’t good for my health man.''
Another tweeted:
''I will never ever forgive Araujo man.''
''Araujo is hilarious man. Can't even hate anymore. He just is what he is. Nunez of CBs,'' @BCNOgi wrote.
''This needs to be Araujo's final match for the club,'' @RafaelH117 added.
''Araujo dead*ss is the dumbest player in our history,'' @SpanishBalde chimed in.
''Araujo remains the undisputed king of all bozos,'' @ofbmar quipped.
“I should have been better’’ – Ronald Araujo on Inter’s goals after Barcelona's UCL exit
Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo said he was at fault for Inter’s last two goals and added that he could have done better on both occasions.
He told RAC1 after the match (via Barca Blaugranes):
“On the fourth goal, I was in front and it was the striker’s luck to place it perfectly in the corner. As for the third goal, I’m obviously very good at one-on-ones and I should have been better."
“But in the end, it’s football, if you cover well, you can also keep those balls at bay. But hey, it’s football, you have to keep your head up and keep moving forward," he added.
Following their UCL exit, La Blaugrana will now turn their attention to LaLiga. They are four points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid after 34 games.
