Barcelona Mainstay Reveals Emotional Toll Second-Leg Loss to PSG Took on Him

In FC Barcelona‘s 4-1 second-leg defeat (6-4 on aggregate), defender João Cancelo emerged as one of the villains, contributing to the Catalan side’s loss. The 29-year-old made two key mistakes, leading to two goals for Paris Saint-Germain that took an emotional toll on him.

In the first half, Cancelo was caught napping defensively and lost track of Ousmane Dembélé, allowing the Frenchman to score. Then, in the second half, the 29-year-old fouled Dembélé inside the box, and the capital club had a chance to take the lead.

Cancelo spoke with ESPN and noted how the UEFA Champions League elimination affected him from an emotional standpoint, understanding that his mistakes cost the team and opened the door for PSG to advance.

“I made a childish penalty, but given the state of the game and my mindset, I accept the criticism,” Cancelo said (h/t SPORT). “I couldn’t sleep that night. I couldn’t because we had the hope of going far. Ultimately, when you don’t win, I personally find it very difficult to sleep because I feel like I didn’t do my job well.

“It was a strange match, and how we lost was what kept me awake. The way we lost. I feel like with eleven players on the field, we could have won.”

In the same interview with the outlet, the Portuguese defender noted that he had received death threats on social media after Barcelona crashed out in the quarterfinals to PSG. Furthermore, Concelo reveals that it wasn’t him who received the threats, as his family also got them.