Barcelona fans online were furious with defender Jules Kounde’s showing in their 3-2 UEFA Champions League quarter-final aggregate loss to Atletico Madrid. The Catalans won the second leg 2-1 but were unable to go through to the semi-finals.

Barcelona began on a strong note, with Lamine Yamal (4′) and Ferran Torres (24′) putting them 2-0 up. However, Atletico Madrid made a quick comeback as Ademola Lookman (31′) beat Jules Kounde to find the back of the net. The Catalans also suffered another red card as Eric Garcia was sent off (79′) due to a professional last-man foul, much like Pau Cubarsi’s red in the first leg.

Jules Kounde was unable to catch up to Ademola Lookman in pace and physicality throughout the game and failed to tackle him ahead of his goal. The Frenchman made four clearances and two recoveries, but his inability to match up to Lookman became a major factor in Barcelona conceding the solitary goal in the game.

Fans took to X to react to Jules Kounde’s performance, with many blaming him for his poor showing. One Culer wrote:

“Even first leg…. Kounde also made sure we ain’t going through. Pedri was disappointing too.”

Many fans shared similar thoughts about Kounde and wrote:

Fans continued to share their thoughts on the matter:

With Barcelona out of the Champions League, they only have LaLiga in hand this season. The Catalans also won the Supercopa de España this season, and are currently nine points clear at the top of the league table. If they are able to continue the momentum, there’s a fair chance of them winning LaLiga.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick makes feelings clear after quarter-final aggregate loss to Atletico Madrid in the UCL

In the pre-match press conference, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick opened up about the 3-2 aggregate loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final. He said (via Barca Universal):

“Of course we are disappointed. The staff, the players, the fans… we have to learn. We have a young team and we can improve a lot. It’s disappointing, but we’ll try again next season. The players need to learn and we’re here to help them.”

Speaking of LaLiga ahead, Flick added:

“The next step for us is to win La Liga. We want to win it. I don’t care when, but we want to win it as soon as possible. We have to show that we are winners in the next few matches.”

Barcelona have seven LaLiga games left before the end of the season, with a Clasico in May. They must continue to win their remaining games to be able to win the league. With 79 points from 31 games, they have a comfortable nine-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid.