BarcelonaWith what a smile the fans left the Camp Nou today. The same as the Blaugrana footballers wore after thrashing Roma (5-1) to confirm their presence, for the fifth consecutive year, in the semi-finals of the Champions League. There is no color. When the team led by Jonatan Giráldez is having a good time on the pitch, it has no rival. Now, either Chelsea or Olympique de Lyon will be the last obstacle to standing in the final in Eindhoven.
Barça learned a lesson from Rome. The game at the Olympic Games in Rome was much more difficult: because of the field factor and because of the inefficiency of the game on the grass. They had the dominance, yes, but in front of goal they failed more and more. And this in the Champions League can take its toll sooner rather than later. For this reason, the Blaugrana have jumped into Camp Nou with the desire to redeem themselves. The long week of reflection, with a classic in the middle, has served to find the tone and drive that was missing on Italian soil.
Calmly, but setting the pace, the Blaugrana have stepped on the turf of their temple with force. Without yielding even an inch, Jonatan Giráldez’s team stood up with authority in front of a Roma that was often in tow. The sensations were of a big day, a day in which to write your name on the ticket for the semi-finals of the Champions League. And Fridolina Rolfö didn’t take long to open the can. The Swede, one of the best signings in the history of the Catalan team, was in the right place at the right time. As always. After a cross from Mapi León, Oshoala has placed with the testa the ball at the feet of Rolfö, who, from inside the area, beat goalkeeper Ceasar in a three and nothing.
With 1-0 on the scoreboard, the Barcelona players could breathe easy. The domain was on the grass and on the scoreboard. The minutes passed and Barça’s supremacy was increasing. So much so, that Mapi León has started to make its own. And how he likes to play with the limits of what is imaginable, with the rules of physics, to steal an “oh” from all the Camp Nou stands. What a genius of Mapi León. More than 25 meters away, from the corner of the area, the defense broke the ball with just the right amount of force to be able to draw a parabola that ended near the box. Mapi raised her hands as if saying to herself: “Come on, man, come on!” Mapí León is like that, exceptional and surprising, sometimes even to herself.
Barça was having a great time on the pitch. The game has finally arrived where things go. The ball comes and goes, gliding over the Camp Nou green with delicacy. And so, with a new collective action, Barça went into the break with Rolfö’s second goal, who took advantage of a cross from Graham Hansen to, at the mouth of the cannon, extend the advantage.
Fun and gluttons in the second half
When the Blaugrana are happy on the pitch, it is impossible to beat them. To the delight of the 54,667 fans who painted the stands of the Camp Nou in blaugrana, Barça went out to have a good time in the second half. No pressure, to enjoy. And Asisat Oshoala took just 30 seconds to remove the thorn stuck in him in Rome. After a trademark move by Aitana Bonmatí, the Nigerian accompanied the ball into the back of the goal. At the Olympics there was no way. He tried in every possible way, but nothing. I didn’t have the day, the front. After a couple of individual mistakes, his head was blocked and he played a bad trick; it was already impossible to get her out of the dark place she entered. This Wednesday, at Camp Nou, Oshoala managed to redeem himself.
What a joy to see this Barça. The smiles, present on the faces of all the Blaugrana players, foreshadowed that the party was not over. And Patri Guijarro, queen of the raucous in the dressing room, couldn’t miss it. After a mistake by the Roman defense, Palma’s was furious and, with a header, signed the handball that completely sealed the tie. The Italian team, however, scored the goal of honor in the 57th minute with the approval of the Cuellar defense and an almost motionless Sandra Paños under the posts. With a new thrashing in their pocket and smiles from ear to ear, Barça is already expecting an opponent in the semi-finals of the Champions League.