May 01, (THEWILL) – Barcelona Femeni may have been defeated for the first time this season, with Wolfsburg scoring two second-half goals in the second leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final tie, but, on average, the advantage was on the side of the defending champions from Spain.
After a 2-nil loss at the home stadium of the German side, the semi-final score on aggregate was 5-3, thanks to a four-goal advantage gained in the first leg at Camp Nou, which finished 5-1.
Starting with the same eleven that won the first leg 5-1, Barca’s goal was to score early and effectively eliminate any possibility of a Wolfsburg comeback. Despite dominating with long possessions and appearing to be at ease on the ball, it took a long time for them to pose a serious threat to home goalkeeper Almuth Schult.
Wolfsburg had learned from their mistakes in the previous game and defended deep, leaving the Catalans with only set-piece opportunities. The best chances fell to Irene Paredes and Ana Maria Crnogorcevic, but the first half finished in a goalless stalemate.
The Germans were adamant that they were not going out of Europe without a fight, and two emphatically weighted goals from outside the area, from the boots of Wassmuth and Roord, gave the home fans enough to cheer about after the break.
Barca refused to be shaken by the unusual circumstance of having to play catch-up. An assault on the German goal proceeded, but no goal was forthcoming, no matter how hard they tried.
In the 58th minute, Asisat Oshoala, who had returned from injury in the previous match, was introduced to give the attack more bite. She and her teammates continued to look for flaws in the Wolves’ defence to exploit in an attempt to cut the deficit in half, but to no avail.
Indeed, there were moments when Wolfsburg could have scored a third goal, setting up a tense finish, but the Barça defence remained firm, swallowed all the pressure, and fought on until the last whistle and the joy, albeit in defeat, of adding to this incredible team’s legacy.
Thus, Oshoala and her indomitable teammates advanced to the Champions League Final on May 21 in Turin with very high hopes of securing another European title.
That will make it the third final appearance in four years, and the chance to defend the crown the sensational Catalan ladies won last season in Gothenburg.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
