164 days after lifting the club’s second Champions League to the skies of Eindhoven, Barça started the path that hopes to take them to a new final in San Mamés on May 25. For the most superstitious, Jonatan Giráldez’s team repeated a script almost identical to that of a year ago, with Benfica as the victim (5-0). The draw meant that the Portuguese team would once again be the rival against whom they would debut in the European competition, but this time they put up more resistance, spurred on by the twenty fans who did not stop cheering on the team from the visiting stands of a Johan Cruyff who He once again recorded a great entrance, including president Joan Laporta in the box. And in the European premiere, Barça took the opportunity to offer their fans the trophy that accredits them as the best team of the year, an award they received in Paris the night Aitana collected the Ballon d’Or. There is no end to the trophies. in this team that has won two Champions Leagues in the last three years and is looking for its second consecutive title this year.
With Sunday’s classic in Montjuïc present, Giraldez did not miss many players either. Irene Paredes fell out of the eleven due to tonsillitis and it was Ingrid Engen who accompanied Mapi León in the axis of defense. And Patri Guijarro, who was discharged before the game did not start either, came on at half-time to replace Alexia Putellas, with discomfort in her operated on knee.
Barça’s start to the game was choked, much more imprecise than usual in part thanks to the great defensive work of Benfica, who relentlessly pressured the Blaugrana, forcing their mistakes and exploiting them to quickly go on the counterattack. Filipa Patão’s team was about to surprise in a counterattack that Mapi León masterfully saved by diving to the ground. An action that originated after a foul on the Blaugrana that was not reported by the Finnish referee Lina Lehtovaara, of whom the fans do not have good memories for the final that whistled against Barça in Turin.
Alidou also tried, with a powerful cannon shot that blocked a safe Cata Coll. Giráldez’s team was not comfortable with a script so different from last season, but Alexia Putellas appeared to unblock the team. The captain caught a rebound after a first shot by Caroline Graham Hansen to make it 1-0 to the delight of Johan Cruyff who remembered the Blaugrana’s negotiations to renew his contract, which ends at the end of the year. “Alexia is a bargain” sang the fans, who would get quite a scare when Mollet’s hand went to her left knee and even momentarily left the field of play to be examined. It was the 30th minute of the game, but Alexia returned to the field and completed the first half, although she was touching her thigh and it was clear that she was not one hundred percent and she was replaced as a precaution at half-time by Patri Guijarro. Even if it was touched, Mollet’s player would still have the strength to participate in the 2-0 lead, having just pushed a ball from Esmee Brugts into the back of the net that already seemed to be crossing the line when Alexia arrived from behind to finish putting it into the goal. Just before the break, Aitana Bonmatí got the victory back on track with an authentic goal after cutting off two defenders in the area and finishing with astonishing calmness to make it 3 to 0. The new Ballon d’Or winner was not satisfied with that great goal and scored a double as soon as the second half started.
With the score at 4-0, Patão began to introduce changes to try to stop Barça and the first victim was former Blaugrana Andrea Sánchez Falcón. Unlucky in her injuries, she did not have continuity in the Catalan team, in which she played several seasons in two stages, the last one until last summer. She had scored in her first three games with Benfica, but against her former team she left empty-handed. She also moved the Giráldez bench, with better luck than her counterpart. Asisat Oshoala, one minute after entering the field, scored the fifth, finishing off an assist from Graham Hansen with a bicycle kick to seal the match. A solid victory to face the classic against Real Madrid on Sunday (12 noon).
