Roared on by a world record crowd of 91,533 fans at the Nou Camp, Barcelona secured their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League with a 5-2 win against their fierce rivals Real Madrid to progress 8-3 on aggregate. Although the women’s side had played in the club’s famous arena before, it had a vastly different feel this time.
They were greeted by silence last time out as they thrashed Espanyol 5-0 last January, with the height of Covid restrictions meaning no-one was there to watch. Ad/> Fast forward 14 months, and the players were greeted by a stunning visual display around the stadium, with a mosaic of supporter held placards reading “More Than Empowerment” to deliver a strong message on gender equality.
The colours providing the vibrant backdrop were the yellows and reds associated with the Catalan flag, but the decision was made to put the wording in English in hope of a wider audience taking notice in the European competition. Women's Champions LeagueArsenal and Wolfsburg achieve perfect balance — The Warm-Up24/03/2022 AT 09:08 /> With a 3-1 lead from the first leg, and backed by a vociferous home support, Barcelona were determined to put the tie to bed quickly, and were soon further ahead when María Pilar León looped a shot into the net within ten minutes.
However, Madrid gave themselves hope by pulling a goal back just five minutes later with Olga Carmona converting from the penalty spot after her initial shot had been blocked by the hand of Irene Paredes. Just after half time, an astonishing Madrid comeback became even more possible when Claudia Zornoza scored from nearly 40 years out, lobbing Sandra Panos, who was off her line.
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