Ronald Araujo claims that referee Marco Guida's decision in the draw against Newcastle prevented him from getting back into his defensive position in time, leading to the home team's opening goal.
Araujo in the 1-1 draw against Newcastle.
The 1-1 draw between Barcelona and Newcastle United in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on the morning of March 11th attracted attention not only because of the late equalizer from the visitors scored by Lamine Yamal, but also because of the controversy surrounding the situation that led to Newcastle's goal.
The opening goal for the English team came from a rather unusual situation involving Araujo. The Uruguayan center-back suffered a cramp and had to stand off the pitch while the ball went out of bounds. As the ball was about to be put back into play, Araujo tried to get back on the pitch to participate in the defense.
However, according to Araujo, the Italian referee, Marco Guida, instructed him to return to the field from the sideline as per regulations. In poor physical condition, the Barcelona defender was unable to return to his defensive position in time.
That space was quickly exploited by Newcastle. Harvey Barnes took advantage of the opportunity to score the opening goal for the home side at St James' Park. Immediately after this, Araujo left the field and was substituted.
Speaking after the match, the Barcelona defender expressed his bewilderment at the referee's decision. He said: "I don't understand the rules. If I had cramps, I could have come onto the pitch standing up or even crawling, but the referee told me to leave again. Then I couldn't get back into the penalty area in time."
However, Araujo also admitted that Barcelona did not play to their full potential for most of the match. The Uruguayan defender believes the Catalan team needs to learn from their performance at St James' Park.
"I'm pleased that we equalized at the end of the match, but Barcelona didn't play at the level we wanted," Araujo said.
The player also emphasized that Barcelona would have an advantage returning to their home ground for the second leg. According to Araujo, his team needs to control the ball better and put more pressure on their opponents.
“We will play the second leg at home in front of our fans. It will be a big game. Newcastle are a strong opponent and the atmosphere at their stadium is very tense, so it will not be an easy game,” he shared.
The 1-1 draw leaves the tie wide open. The return leg at Barcelona next week will decide who advances to the Champions League quarter-finals.