Int'l press "was unanimous in criticizing and examining Barcelona's Champions League disaster" against Paris St. Germain on Tuesday, according to SPORT. Media outlets across the globe "spoke of 'humiliation' and even the end of an era" in coverage of PSG's 4-0 win. L'Equipe declared, "Prodigious," on its cover, saying, "PSG pulverizes Barça on a beautiful night." Le Figaro: "Fantastic PSG crushes Barcelona." Germany's Der Spiegel asked "if this is the end of an era for Barcelona, or better said, coach Luis Enrique." The London Guardian wrote, "PSG, eliminated by Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Champions League in '13 and '15, was the more aggressive team at Parc des Princes. ... The five-time European champion, Barcelona, has not been eliminated in the round of 16 since it lost to Liverpool in '06-07." Argentina's Olé: "[PSG's Angel] Di María scored two golazos, was a star and PSG beat Barcelona 4-0 in a historic dance. ... Angelito Di María and PSG experienced one of the best nights in their history. [Lionel] Messi played as bad as his teammates" (SPORT, 2/15).
COACHING CHANGE?: In London, Matt Law reported La Liga side Sevilla Manager Jorge Sampaoli "is the leading contender" to succeed Enrique at Barcelona. Enrique is "under huge pressure" following his team's loss on Tuesday, and his Barça contract expires at the end of the season. Barcelona is a point behind Real Madrid in La Liga, having played two more games, and is only two points ahead of Sampaoli’s Sevilla (TELEGRAPH, 2/15).
RATINGS: L’ÉQUIPE reported beIN Sports attracted a record audience with more than 1.6 million viewers tuning into its broadcast of the match. The game drew a peak audience of more than 1.8 million viewers. The channel drew the fifth-highest audience in France for the night. BeIN’s Sports’ previous record was for the ’16 Champions League quarterfinal match between PSG and Man City, which drew an average of 1.5 million viewers (L’ÉQUIPE, 2/15).
