Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. One more step, one day less for the dream final on May 25 in Bilbao. With their trademark colorful and comfortable football, Barça women sealed their place in the Champions League semi-finals against a delicate and persistent but very newbie Brann. He used Aitana’s scoring magic. Graham Hansen’s nose for connecting with Rölfo, who made his debut scoring in the Champions League. And the seniority of Patri Guijarro, who scored the third, that of tranquility. For the sixth consecutive time, the seventh time in its history, the Barça team will once again be in the lead-up to the European final. The topic gets serious. Chelsea is already waiting for them in the semifinals, a much more mature team offensively than the Norwegian rival, who managed to score the goal of honor in the 70th minute.
All this in the week in which the Barcelona players expressed their concern about the low level of the F League. Asking for more resources in a competition that is only professional in name. Demanding a real commitment to help Spanish women’s football take off. To brag that they have the best in their League. And so that they themselves can feel that there is competition and life beyond Europe. It must be exhausting to always feel superior. Despite everything, this fight that has already become more than a routine, Barça enjoyed its irreducible Johan Cruyff, where no one has won for more than five years and which yesterday recorded the second highest entry in history with 5,510 spectators. This Barça, much more earthly and less divine than in other seasons, has plenty of desire. In Norway they won by the minimum (1-2) with 35 scoring chances against an excited Brann, who scored the only goal in a defensive error behind the Barça team. So it was time to finish the job.
To do this, Giráldez surprised with an author’s eleven. He reserved the full-back Ona Batlle, warned, and left Salma Paralluelo, Barcelona’s top scorer in the Champions League with six goals, on the bench. In the official European ranking she is only surpassed by Kadidiatou Diani, from the feared Lyon Olympiqye. In her place, the young Esme Bruggs played, with much less offensive prominence than Paralluelo but who connected wonderfully with Aitana and Graham Hansen, the best offensive weapons of this Barça. But what was most surprising about the coach’s slate was Patri Guijarro’s rest. Perhaps to begin to pamper his captain, who has had a difficult year, the coach opted for Alexia for the first time in the Champions League after the relapse he suffered in November. Alexia still lacks that magic. But he starts to get close. He came out, unmarked himself, pressed and above all enjoyed the 70 minutes that Giráldez gave him to bring on fellow goalscorer Patri Guijarro.
The Barcelona dance started with little poise for what usually happens in the F League. With Brann who, just like he did in Norway, was combative. Pressing and having quality players such as the attackers Gaupset and Kielland -always well watched by Rölfo, Bronze and Mariona-, the incorporations of Kvamme on the right wing and the omnipresence of the goalkeeper Mikalsen between the posts, who, as already happened in Bergen was key to avoiding a heavier result. He attacked Barça 23 times, eight of them between the three sticks. She is undoubtedly a goalkeeper for the future. On the other side of the board, Barcelona’s Cata Coll was already present, barely acting as a mere spectator. She only intervened twice. And she took the opportunity to make a long pass for Graham Hansen. The Norwegian did not tire of searching for the goal. Nor to demand the applause of Johan to counteract the boos of the 600 Brann fans who were especially intense with her. They suddenly fell silent when they witnessed how his cross-shot grazed the right post of the goal of a Mikalsen who did not get bored. She flew to stop Irene Paredes’ header, Aitana’s shot from the edge of the area and another from Walsh from further away. Mikalsen barely rested until the 19th minute, when the Norwegians’ first (and last) longest possession came. Mariona was there to stop Gapset’s raid.
Despite this script, it wasn’t until minute 25 when Aitana worked her magic. She received the ball from Esme, advanced and with a wonderful cut and a beautiful thread included, the best player in the world nailed it with her left foot. Mariona was able to finish it off shortly before the break with a macramé play spun with Alexia. The last one was a video game.
After the break, Aitana was once again able to score the second in another textbook play, well woven between Graham, Bronze and Esmee. The current Ballon d’Or didn’t come just barely. It did catch up to Graham Hansen, who entered like Pedro through his house to the baseline. Two meters from the right post, he gave the ball to Rölfo, who made his debut in this edition of the Champions League. Barça highly valued this goal, and in a scenario similar to that of the first leg, they conceded the Norwegian goal from Svendhem in the 70th minute. Some more could have arrived. But the Brann revolution came too late. Especially because Giráldez called Patri Guijarro who pushed the ball that Aitana gave him from the far post to finish the game. Eye. Chelsea won’t make it so easy. But to them, after all, no one will tell them that they can’t.
