Barcelona progressed to their eighth consecutive Ladies’s Champions League semi-final after thrashing Spanish counterparts Actual Madrid 6-0 at a refurbished Spotify Camp Nou, successful the tie by an astonishing mixture rating of 12-2.
The three-time champions are looking for to reclaim the title they misplaced to Arsenal final season, and after crusing by means of the league part unbeaten, additionally cruised by means of their quarter-final to arrange a final 4 assembly with Bayern Munich.
Thursday’s triumph marked Barcelona Femeni’s grand return to the Spotify Camp Nou for the primary time in almost three years amid ongoing renovations, as over 60,000 supporters packed the bottom and had been handled to an exhibition of soccer ‘el nostre cami’ – which interprets as ‘our method’.
Barca had already overwhelmed Madrid 5 occasions in all competitions this season, however this explicit outcome was maybe essentially the most compelling of the lot, thanks to a different masterclass from Alexia Putellas on her five hundredth membership look.
It was the No 11 who scored the opener and orchestrated the second, all earlier than the 15-minute mark. Irene Paredes and Ewa Pajor had been additionally on the scoresheet earlier than the half-time whistle as Actual had been blown away by a Barca facet in full free circulate. A lot as they toiled, they may not get close to.
Caroline Graham Hansen then scored the choose of the bunch within the fifty fifth minute, aided by the imaginative and prescient of Putellas, rolling her defender and weighting a delightfully deft shot over Misa Rodriguez. Substitute Esmee Brugts tapped dwelling a well-worked sixth earlier than the night time was out.
Barcelona will face Bayern Munich for a spot within the Could’s last in Oslo, whereas the corresponding semi-final might be contested by Arsenal and the winner of Lyon vs Wolfsburg.
Given current proof, every crew left standing will contemplate Pere Romeu’s facet a fearsome opponent. Barcelona are unbeaten of their final 27 video games in all competitions – the final time they had been defeated in Europe was in final season’s Ladies’s Champions League last.
And there are certainly few who can compete with their class this time round as Barcelona very a lot look the crew to beat.
Graham Hansen cherishes memorable win
Barcelona ahead Caroline Graham Hansen to UEFA: “Every time we play here, it’s always going to stay as one of the best memories.
“To play right here on this implausible stadium with these followers, and the perfect crew on the planet, for me, with the perfect group of individuals – it is recollections eternally.
“We haven’t won any trophies today, but it’s a very memorable night that I will keep on cherishing for a long time. Obviously, we want to try to reach the final again and show that we can play well in finals.”