2023-04-27 20:39:17
BarcelonaEindhoven, the obsessive target since Alexia cried on the Juventus Stadium lawn in Turin after losing to Olympique de Lyon last year, is no longer just a wish: Barça will play the Champions League final there on June 3 The Dutch city can be preparing for another mass displacement of Barcelona fans. If in May 2022 there were 15,000 fans who colored the streets of the old Italian capital with Blaugrana in a historic day despite the defeat on the pitch, this time the thousands of fans who travel to Eindhoven want to enjoy of a complete party. And that means taking the second Champions League to Barcelona.
When the Swiss referee Esther Staubi blew the whistle for the end of the match against Chelsea with the result 1-1 (the first leg at Stamford Bridge ended 0-1), the players and the Barça coaching staff thrown to the ground and embraced to savor the glory. Barça will play the third consecutive Champions League final in three years and the fourth in five. The rival will meet on Monday, when Arsenal and Wolfsburg play the second leg at the Emirates Stadium after the 2-2 draw in the first leg. However, Alexia’s return will still have to wait. The one from Mollet del Vallès would only have jumped on the grass today in a doomed playoff scenario.
Barca’s big last-minute loss for the second leg of the semi-finals was England’s Lucy Bronze, who injured her right knee at Stamford Bridge and underwent arthroscopy on Tuesday. Marta Torrejón has been her substitute at right-back and, thus, has become the tenth player with the most games played in the history of the Champions League, with 75 appearances. The other changes in Jonatan Giráldez’s eleven compared to the first leg were Oshoala, uncertain, and Mariona, who still lacks rhythm after the injury.
It hadn’t even reached the 8th minute when Caroline Graham Hansen sent the ball into the back of the net, but Staubi had the goal canceled out by the hands of the Norwegian striker, who has once again been a nightmare for Chelsea since on the right side The English team contained Barça’s usual ferocious early attack and, beyond this situation, managed to prevent anything significant from happening in the first half. The Blaugrana team did not want to take any chances and Emma Hayes’ team was comfortable at the back waiting to enjoy counter-attacking situations. A high shot by Mariona in the 27th minute was the main scare that the English took. Sandra Paños, directly, has not suffered any.
Barça entered the second half more energized. The first player to try her luck was Fridolina Rolfö from afar. Soon after, Graham Hansen did one of those her-against-the-world plays again and got away with it until he shot too high from a forced position. The match progressed and the uncertainty continued in the tie. Thus, the Camp Nou crowd tried to shake off their nerves by chanting Alexia’s name with half an hour to go, despite the fact that the two-time Ballon d’Or winner had not left the bench.
It was the preview of the delirium in the Blaugrana feud. In the 63rd minute, Aitana Bonmatí drove with space through the center of the attack and Graham Hansen finished between Berger’s legs. Carter managed to touch the ball on the same goal line, but not with enough force to avoid the 1 to 0. The joy was short-lived. A loss of the ball by Mariona in the middle of the field was used by Chelsea to prepare a counterattack that saved Paños in the first instance against Sam Kerr. But the rejection fell to the feet of Reiten, who equalized with pleasure in the 67th. Chelsea got the end-game scenario they wanted. His problem is that he has met a Barça team determined to go to Eindhoven that has never stopped looking for the opposite goal.
Alexia, unlike today, will arrive at the Eindhoven final. There is still more than a month left for the decisive match, and in this period Barça will play the five remaining League matches. The first will be this Sunday against Sporting de Huelva at the Johan Cruyff stadium, where the Blaugrana will be mathematically champions if they win. The rest, four inconsequential matches, will serve for Jonatan Giráldez to calmly take all the tests he considers with an eye on June 3, the day destined to heal the wounds of Turin. Barcelona fans are already looking for flights and tickets.
- Barça: Cloths; Torrejón (Crnogorcevic, 73′), Paredes, Mapi León, Rolfö; Walsh (Engen, 60′), Aitana (Geyse, 84′), Patri Guijarro; Graham Hansen, Mariona and Oshoala (Paralluelo, 60′). Coach: Jonatan Giráldez.
- Chelsea: Berger; Périsset (Rytting Kaneryd, 81′), Mjelde, Eriksson, Carter; Melanie Leupolz, Cuthbert, Guro Reiten (James, 75); Charles, Fleming (Harder, 75′) in Sam Kerr. Trainer: Emma Hayes.
- Gols: 1-0 Graham Hansen (63′), 1-1 Riding (67′)
- Referee: Esther Staubi (Switzerland)
- Yellow cards: Reiten (18′), Cuthbert (90′), Jonatan Giráldez (90′)
- Red cards: None
- Stadium: Camp Nou. 72,272 spectators
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