Pau Cubarsí, Barcelona’s young defender, admitted responsibility for the Catalan side’s defeat to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
Cubarsí was shown a straight red card minutes before the end of the first half after bringing down Giuliano Simeone, Atlético Madrid’s player, on the edge of the penalty area, leaving Barça to play the rest of the match with 10 men.
From the free kick Atlético Madrid won as a result of Cubarsí’s dismissal, Julián Álvarez scored for the visitors, before the match ended with the Rojiblancos winning 2–0, complicating the Blaugrana’s situation ahead of the second leg next Tuesday.
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In a post on his social media accounts, the young defender acknowledged that his team paid the price for the mistake, saying: “One moment can change the course of the match and even the entire tie. That’s football, and I take responsibility for the result.”
He added: “There is still a lot left in this two-leg tie, and we are more united than ever. We are one family, and we have always proven that.”
Despite the error, Cubarsí expressed confidence in his team’s ability to turn the result around, stressing: “We will keep moving forward, and with hard work and determination we will never give up.”
Cubarsí did not address whether the decision to send him off was correct or not, amid media debate over the incident.
The young defender is set to miss the second leg due to suspension.