Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Barcelona, Spain — Barcelona Set up an interesting showdown with former coach Jonathan Giraldez and him OL Lyons Oslo side after a late weather Bayern Munich Storm to win the second leg of their semi-final at Camp Nou on Sunday 4-2and tied 5-3 on aggregate, to book their place for the sixth consecutive time Champions League final
After a 1-1 draw in Munich last week, three-time winners Barca looked on track to make the final on May 23. Alexia PutellasThe second goal of the afternoon put them ahead 4-1 against Bayern.
Everything came together in a near-perfect first hour for Pere Romeu’s team. Carolyn Graham Hansen And Salma Paraluello The wings looked overwhelming, Iwa Pajor Carrying his usual goal threat, Putelas was popping up at all the right moments and Aitana Banmati came off the bench to make his first appearance since breaking a leg in November. Giraldez, in charge of Barca when they beat Lyon in the 2024 final, was wondering how to beat his former side, who are now unbeaten in 31 games in all competitions.
But the last 30 minutes saw Barca, who lost in last year’s final Arsenalcan be weak. Bayern, who are unbeaten in 29 games since a 7-1 loss to Barca in October, have really put the home side under pressure going into Sunday’s game. So much so, in fact, that coach José Barcala may question why he didn’t send his team into attack sooner.
– Ranking of the top 20 best female club managers in the world
– Keogh: Dumorne’s return sends Lyons to another final
– Lindop: Man City’s late win over Arsenal clinched the WSL title
Putelas’ second goal finally sparked Bayern into life. Pernille Harder Pulled one back in the 71st minute, and then the German champions had an onslaught: they hit the bar twice, had a goal disallowed for a foul in the buildup and saw countless shots blocked by defenders or saved by the Barcelona goalkeeper. kata call. They went out swinging.
“Right now, it’s very painful,” Byrnes Julia Gwynne Said “I know we can be proud, but that feeling will come with time. We had chances, hit the woodwork twice — for me, I’m not able to explain why the goal was knocked in. We have a lot of disappointment because we were still in it.”
During the tie, though, Barca were the better team — and especially on Sunday. They racked up 23 shots to Bayern’s 12 and an xG of 3.25 to their opponents’ 0.99. It was only 2-1 at halftime, but the lead could easily have been four or five.
Barcelona can now resume their rivalry with eight-time winners Lyonesse, another dominant force in European women’s football over the past decade, albeit with a fascinating twist: this time, they’re up against Giraldez.
Current Barca coach Romeu was part of Giraldez’s coaching staff during his time in charge of the Catalans from 2021 to 2024. During that period, Barça won back-to-back Champions Leagues in 2023 and 2024. For Giraledez they are yet to reach the top of Europe. Washington Spirit.
It was a big surprise for Barca to see Giraldez return to Europe so soon after leaving the Spirit for Lyonesse after just one year in the United States. It would add spice to a fixture that was already plentiful.
This will be the fourth final between the two teams. The French side won in 2019 and 2022, asserting its dominance over Barca in the process, but Barca’s win in Bilbao in 2024 signaled a changing of the guard. Earlier, Barca seemed to be contenders for the throne; Now, both teams think they are number one. The final in Oslo on May 23 will help determine who really is the reigning force in the women’s game at the moment.
Against Bayern, Barca certainly made their case in the opening minutes. Freedom from the shackles of the suspended Franziska KateFirst leg farewell, Graham Hansen was sensational in the first exchange here, setting up chance after chance. It was no surprise to see his superb cross lead to the opener for Paraluello in the 13th minute.
Four minutes later Bayern briefly stunned the 60,000 crowd at the Camp Nou, as the Barca defense allowed Herder to set up. Linda Dallman. But Bayern’s joy was short-lived.
Captain Putellas had already approached when a loose ball fell to him in the box. He passes the ball appropriately Ana MahmutovichDistributing his customary bow to the corner to celebrate in front of an adoring crowd. It marked his eighth home game in the competition with a goal contribution.
Barca could have scored more before the break — Esme Brugts was particularly wasteful — but they soon took the game away from Bayern in the second half.
Paralluelo has been a slightly surprising pick going forward Claudia PinaBut Romeu’s decision was justified as he delivered arguably his best performance of the season. He assisted Pajor to make it 3-1 with a superb cross from the left in the 54th minute.
Four minutes later, Putelas extended the lead with a superbly skilful finish. He leads the Champions League with 14 goal contributions this season — eight goals and six assists. Also, notably, she now has 233 Barca goals, according to ESPN Global Soccer Research, moving past Cesar Rodriguez as the club’s second all-time leading scorer on both the men’s and women’s teams. only Lionel Messi (672) There are more.
As important as he is to Barca, his contract situation is worrying. His terms expire this summer and there is still no sign of a renewal deal. His reaction to being substituted late in the game suggests he is not 100% sure if he will get the chance to pull on the Barca shirt again at Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, Banmati, back in a Barca shirt for the first time since November, came off the bench just as Bayern began to throw caution to the wind. He will not be able to enjoy some of the opportunities the German champions have created, but he will be delighted to be back on the pitch with the Champions League and Queen’s Cup The final is to come and Barca will target four times.
“To get to six straight Finals is really crazy,” Bonmati told Disney+. “We’re normalizing something that’s not normal at all. It says everything about the ambition of this team to set the bar so high.
“Now for Lyonesse, who for me have always been the team to beat and the team we looked up to when we were nothing and wanted to reach their level, which we achieved.”
And what about Giraldez, who helped Barca reach that level and now stands on the way to a fourth European crown?
“I’m grateful for everything Jonathan has done for me as a player, but now we’re rivals,” added Banmati. We are only thinking about winning trophies.
