Even though the match had ended and the television had begun broadcasting the post-match press conference live, Yang Yang, Zidane, and the others were still immersed in the shock of that astonishing comeback.
If Real Madrid's first-half demolition of Barcelona at Camp Nou could be called a miracle, then Barcelona's six-one comeback against Paris Saint-Germain at home tonight was likewise a miracle. In terms of greatness, it was probably only slightly below the level of the Istanbul Miracle in the Champions League Final.
As fans, people all over the world were probably stunned by Barcelona's feat. As media workers, they were likely racking their brains to come up with a sensational headline for tomorrow. As players, they should all have been impressed by Barcelona's performance tonight. But as coaches, Yang Yang and Zidane had more to think about.
It had been an unexpected match!
On the live broadcast, Emery attacked the referee's poor decisions at the post-match press conference. He believed the home-field bias had been far too obvious. First, the referee had failed to call a handball by Barcelona's center back inside the penalty area. Then, around the twenty-third minute, Pique had committed two serious fouls against Cavani, yet the referee had shown him only a yellow card for a tackle from behind. If he had been shown two cards, Barcelona's center back would have been sent off.
What infuriated Emery most was Neymar's penalty. He believed the Brazilian player had gone looking for contact. Moreover, the decision had been made by the goal-line referee thirty meters away on the far side of the goal, rather than by the closer main referee.
It was worth noting that the main referee had not awarded a penalty at first. He had not even blown for a foul. But after the goal-line