Women’s Barcelona regained the European scepter by defeating Wolfsburg 3-2 in the Champions League final.
He Barcelona The women’s team regained the European title by defeating Wolfsburg 3-2 in the Champions League final.
With Alexia Putellas out of rhythm after recovering from her serious knee injury, the Barça coach, Jonatan Giráldez, decided to leave her on the bench. Instead, he bet on Patri Guijarro, who ended up being the heroine of the match with his brace in two minutes early in the second half at Eindhoven’s Philips Stadion.
Like a year ago in the final they lost against Olympique de Lyon, Barça conceded a goal very early. After three minutes, Pajor stole Bronze’s wallet and hit the squad with a right hand that was impossible for Paños. The Pole consolidated herself in the table of top scorers in this Champions League with her ninth goal.
At that moment, the ghosts of Turin appeared, which Barça tried to exorcise with the help of football and a lot of mobility in their spikes to encircle the goal defended by Frohms.
He did it first with the internees of Rölfo and Mariona Caldantey on the left and then, with the irruption in the clash of a Graham Hansen, who began to win his duels with Janssen over and over again from the far right.
However, Barcelona’s dominance did not translate into a goal. Patri Guijarro, Paralluelo and Caldentey tried without aim. But those who were closest to the goal were Paredes, who inexplicably headed wide a corner when she was alone at the far post, and Graham Hansen, who failed to catch Mapi León’s cross on the goal line.
To top it off, Wolfsburg made the second in the final stretch of the first act in one of their feared transitions to the open field. Pajor entered the left wing and put a millimeter cross to Popp, who headed into the back of the net.
The German thus became the second player, after Norway’s Ada Hegerberg, to score in four Champions League finals.
The second German goal did turn out to be a blow for Barcelona, which was slow to react. Even so, Paralluelo had the clearest of the entire first half just before the break, but his shot was narrowed in the body of Frohms.
However, everything changed at the start of the restart with a brace from Patri Guijarro in two minutes. The Barca interior finished off a cross from Graham Hansen with her right foot and headed another from Aitana Bonmatí to make it 2-2.
Two sublime plays by the azulgranas on the right wing, where Janssen, with little help from her teammates, suffered unspeakably to stop the rival offensive.
Only five minutes had passed in the second half and Barça smelled blood. But the anxiety to complete the comeback made him speed up the game excessively.
Wolfsburg suffered behind but knew that, in an uncontrolled duel, they would still have a chance. And he had them after a couple of losses from Barça in the center of the field.
Oberdor and Pajor put Paños to the test before the Catalans scored the third in minute 70. The work of Rolfö, who took advantage of a jumbled play inside the German area, to finish off a rebound into the back of the net.
Barcelona had done the most difficult thing but there was still the hardest part: holding out until the end. The game got excessively muddy and the Catalans could not find the necessary pause to put it to sleep. But this team has learned to suffer and was able to contain the last of Wolfsburg’s arrogance.
A tough team, capable of taking their place in the final until an extra time in Arsenal’s field and who gave themselves a last chance in added time: a header from Bremer in the last corner of the game that Paños saved.
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