We’re Here Now

If you told me three weeks ago at this time, that FC Barcelona would be in the Champions League quarterfinals, I would’ve hit you with the Papi from “The Proud Family” laugh. There was nothing that Barcelona had done at any point in the season that suggested they could overturn a 4–0 first leg deficit, especially against the defending French champions, Paris Saint-Germain. The way PSG came out to play on February 14th, exploited all of our weaknesses. It didn’t help that, bar Neymar Jr. and Marc-André ter Stegen, we were completely lethargic in every facet of the game. With Thiago Silva, Serge Aurier and Thiago Motta returning, my only wish was that Barcelona could at least put on a good footballing display and make the aggregate score line respectable.

Even though I was sure we were on our way out, still something inside me couldn’t shake the “What if?” Just thinking about the game made me anxious. I wanted to get it done and over with. Every day though, “What if they did it?” “What if the ‘remuntada’ becomes true?” “What if we do what we did to AC Milan, but bigger?” If there was any team that could do it, it was them. Too many times when things looked bleak, this team produces magic to remind me why I fell in love with them. That’s why, the day of the return leg, I went to the movies. Slate me all you want, but my nerves were gone, I had to get my mind off of the game somehow. I saw “Get Out” (if you haven’t seen it, you should *John Anderson from SportsCenter voice), but while I was in the theater shook for my guy Chris, my DVR was recording the greatest comeback in the history of the Champions League.

I came home, phone still with the cellular data off and the wifi switched off, ready to watch whatever was recorded. I didn’t want to ruin the result for myself, just in case the possibility, became reality. I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, a near sell out at the Camp Nou, meant even Culés in Barcelona had that nagging feeling, and they wanted to be there to will the team to victory. Of course, three minutes into the game, Luis Suárez heads the ball over the line and here they go getting my hopes up. Just like the Milan game, an early goal, the crowd is in it and we’re on the front foot pressing, looking for the second. In true, “history repeats itself” fashion, just before the end of he half, we got the second. Now, I’m really invested, but unlike the Milan game, I’m not entirely convinced because both goals were incredibly scrappy. Not to mention, we still have to get two more to just force extra time.

Although, I expected to see a different PSG in the game, the PSG I saw in the first half wasn’t the one I expected. Defending deep? Sure, but making terrible mistakes, not clearing the lines, inviting sustained pressure, nobody breaking for counters. It seemed like they were afraid of the moment, half time talks would change that, and it did. They came out firing looking for that away goal. Soon though, a cheeky Iniesta outside boot pass into the box, gets us a penalty. Messi squeezes it thru Kevin Trapp’s outstretched hands, I can’t even watch the highlights because I think it’ll get saved and I’ll wake up to see we lost. Here we are though, 3–0 on the night 4–3 on aggregate, fourty more minutes to get one more goal and extra time or two for the win. The way things are going, we can do it, just keep the defending up.

As soon as we get within one goal, Meunier splits Neymar, sends a ball in for Cavani, who misses (Thank you left post of the Gol Sud box. I gotta hug you when I come take a tour of the Camp). All I wanted was for us to tighten up and get that goal, Barcelona had other plans. Let’s lose possession, let Julian Draxler almost run riot, and foul him so PSG can get a free kick. Not even a chance to catch our breath, Layvin Kurzawa out-muscles Ivan Rakitić, heads down the ball to none other than Edinson Cavani. Obviously, it was written. Get my hopes up to not only win, but blame the loss on Cavani for bottling a great chance, only to have him kill the tie in an instant. As he goes off to do his celebration, I’m just laying back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering how I’m going to explain to the other Ultras, that a man who got violated by another man on international television kicked us out of the Champions League.

I still decided to continue watching as I was though. Like the greatest catcher of the greatest baseball team famously said “It ain’t over, ‘til it’s over”, but at this point we’re just going through the motions. PSG are playing better now and creating chances, if not for a few misses and sly Javier Mascherano foul on Ángel Di María, I’m not writing this now. Luckily for the both of us, that isn’t the case. In the 87th minute, the comeback within the comeback began. A Neymar free kick, fools Trapp and swings in #TopBinz. I’m one of the few Barcelona fans who would prefer Messi, Neymar and Suárez to actually keep the ball on the ground and work it in for a goal, but that goal shut me right the hell up. I mean yeah, we’re still losing, but it was nice. Thanks Ney.

Three minutes later, an over the top ball into the box from Messi, contact from Marquinhos, and a little embellishment from Suárez gets us another penalty. This time Neymar takes and scores it. Although our penalty record is markedly better than last season, I still wanted to throw up. Even as Neymar butchers the run up, but still scores. At this point the game is 5–1 and the aggregate is 5–5. I wanted to say ‘here they go getting my hopes up to disappoint again’, but the other part of me knows if we have enough extra injury time, we will win.

Five minutes aka the Real Madrid Special. 5 minutes ofadded time and I still do not know how they did it, but they did it. Futbol Club Barcelona won the 2016/2017 Champions League. Alright, they didn’t win the Champions League, but they won the Champions League. They became the first team to overturn a 4–0 first leg deficit, in not only the Champions League era, but its entire history. I’ve experienced the lowest of lows and the highest of highs with this team, but honestly this was everything all rolled into one. In strictly football terms though, this was the Bayern Munich/Barcelona 4–0 thrashing, then the Barcelona/Bayern Munich 3–0 redemption with a dash of the Barcelona/Chelsea 2–2 tie and Chelsea/Barcelona 1–1 “DISGRACE”.

For those five minutes, it was just cross after cross after cross. We don’t even have anyone tall enough to head these balls into the net besides Pique and Umtiti, so we sent up ter Stegen. At this point the game is over to me, once you pull the goalie like this is hockey, one break and it’s a wrap. It almost happened when Arda lost the ball in possession too. Somehow though, ter Stegen tracks back, wins the ball and gets fouled. Then, after Neymar’s first ball is headed back to him, he cuts in on the right wing and using his weak foot, lofts a ball perfectly into the box and Sergi Roberto does everything right to get under this ball and kick it into the net.

Guys. I swear on my life, I’ve never been more unhinged. As soon as I saw no flags or fouls, I jumped and shouted so much my neighbors had to come see if I was alright. Once the game was over it was a stream of tears and unintelligible blubbering of “oh my god”. I honestly, still can’t believe we won. Every single goal is on that fine margin of magical and maddening. Every replay I watch I think there’ll be a miss and my whole world will come crashing down. Fortunately, it’s March 20th and miraculously, Barcelona are now preparing for their Champions League clash with Juventus. As great as the last tie was, and I don’t care how tough Juventus is as an opponent, I need Barcelona to lift that trophy on June 3rd. Only because, the greatest Champions League comeback in history deserves they greatest Champions League title run in history.