Alexia dressed as a blaugrana again. 11 shirt on his back, captain’s bracelet on his arm and with the usual leadership. The midfielder entered in the 65th minute of Barça’s first friendly on Mexican soil, in which they beat América, the current local champions, with a score of 0-2.
For the coach from Barcelona, ??Jonathan Giráldez, the presence of the two-time Ballon d’Or winner was positive. “She has been training three times with the team, we have asked her for things that she was not used to. The time she has entered has been good, she has more confidence in the passes she tried and the relationship with her teammates has been good. She is a player who will help us a lot,” said the coach.
Giráldez left satisfied with the performance of his players in a comfortable victory over Mexican America. A match that served to rotate the team, since the starting lineup saw several regulars start from the bench. The game had dangerous chances in both arcs, but it was Barça who made two goals to win.
First it was Claudia Pina, who did not miss a loose ball in the area to feint and define the 0-1 lead before the break in a great way. “I’m very happy to have been able to score a goal in this historic stadium,” declared the striker after the end of 90 minutes.
In the complement the rotations began to arrive from the benches, and at minute 65 the Azteca stadium erupted in joy to receive the entrance of the world champion, Alexia Putellas. The midfielder was very participatory, leading the team and showing that she is almost 100% ready to face the season.
The finishing touch came after 92 minutes, when the almost 35,000 people present in the mythical Mexican venue got up from their seats to celebrate the work of art that Judit Pujols unveiled. The young woman charged her left leg and sent the ball into the corner for the 0-2 score that confirmed Barça’s victory.
Giráldez highlighted the positives about the conditions in which the victory was obtained. “Taking into account that it is part of the preseason, we have had young players in the first and second half. These experience of level matches, playing in a stadium like the Azteca, for their training are productive minutes. The fact of playing at height It’s also good, because the fatigue is greater and you don’t get the same oxygen. Having a level of stress like this helps them be prepared for what’s coming.”
Thus the current European champions began their competition in Aztec territory in style. Now they will travel from Mexico City to Monterrey to face Tigres, the five-time Mexican soccer champions. Barça will experience the atmosphere of ‘El Volcán’, the nickname of the University stadium where in the early hours of this Saturday (4:00 Spanish time) they will face their second and last match in Mexico.
Two hours before the start of the game, the fans who attended the Azteca Stadium demonstrated in support of Jennifer Hermoso. Members of the Feminist Bar promoted a peaceful march against the non-consensual kiss that the Pachuca soccer player received from Luis Rubiales, the now former president of the Royal Spanish Federation.
The fans, who make up a group that has as one of its objectives to encourage support for women’s football, shouted slogans such as “Get out Rubiales”, “Machismo no longer fits”, “It’s over” and “Jenni, sister, here it is your pack.”
The Feminist Bar called only women to the demonstration “to show support for Jenni” and show their “dissatisfaction with Rubiales’ statements and the poor conditions in Spanish women’s soccer.” Inside the Azteca Stadium, fans applauded when Hermoso was named through the speakers to congratulate her on the title obtained with her team in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The headlines of Barcelona and America also supported Hermoso by posing before the match with a banner that had the message
