Barça scares away ghosts and wins its second women's Champions League

Blaugrana comeback (3-2) against an inert Wolfsburg in the second half

MADRID, 3 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

FC Barcelona Femení won the second Champions League in its history this Saturday at the PSV Stadion in Eindhoven (Netherlands), thanks to a brilliant comeback against VfL Wolfsburg (3-2) and with an outstanding performance by Patri Guijarro, author of two key goals at the start of the second half.

Showing desire to reconcile with this competition, after losing last year's final, Barça resorted to epic during their third consecutive presence in the fight for the title. Guijarro emerged as the savior of the culé team when the mood was worst, as soon as he left the locker room to face the second act.

Although the Barcelona team warned first, thanks to an unlucky left-footed shot by Aitana Bonmatí, Wolfsburg opened the 'can' in minute 3. The forward Ewa Pajor stole the ball from Lucia Bronze in a dangerous zone, approaching the edge of the area and hit a powerful right hand that, despite touching the rival goalkeeper, ended up kissing the back of the net.

The team coached by Jonatan Giráldez responded at minute 12, with a header from Irene Paredes at the far post following a corner kick. But that shot went wide, when he had everything to score the tie. Barça did not stop and had another good opportunity to score a goal on Bonmatí's right hand, when he was running in the 27th minute.

However, that shot from a span on the grass was repelled by a center-back from the German team. While the culés dominated possession and dominated the opposite field, Wolfsburg exhibited precision from the operating room in their second arrival against the Barça goalkeeper. Pajor herself received the ball at the left corner of the area and crossed to the penalty spot.

Behind defense Irene Paredes, Alexandra Popp rose to establish a header from 0-2. That blow anesthetized Giráldez's pupils a bit, who just before the break came very close to closing the gap. Salma Paralluelo capped off a small ruckus with a shot from point-blank range that was saved by goalkeeper Merle Frohms.

But everything changed in the locker room. Giráldez's talk was combined in time with the determination of his players not to repeat the disappointment of last year and with the relaxation of Wolfsburg. In the first unsettling action of the second half, Caroline Graham Hansen deftly dribbled past a couple of opponents and crossed to make it 1-2.

Guijarró then scored the first of his two goals, adjusting his left boot to hit with the inside and make the ball enter the German goal from above. With hardly any reaction time, at 50' and again as a result of an attack from the right flank, Bonmatí cut an opponent and made another cross for hope.

On foot changed, that pumped ball went straight to the head of Guijarro, an ideal gunner for moments of tension. His header made it 2-2 and, from that moment, Wolfsburg was totally ineffective. In full state of 'shock', the players trained by Tommy Stroot hardly even came close to the culé goal.

The Barça sentence came to fruition in the 70th minute, based on a colossal chain failure by the Wolfsburg defense. Unable to keep a seemingly simple ball away from their own six-yard box, that clearance stumbled on Kathrin Hendrich and, attentive to everything, lurked Mariona Caldentey to fight for possession of a ball that was worth gold.

Falling to the ground during this struggle and saving the goalkeeper's exit, she managed to assist her teammate Fridolina Rolfö, who came like a bolt from behind. The Swedish striker finished off crossing the ball to the left, so that no defense could work the miracle under the crossbar.

Stroot's changes didn't work and his team only generated one clear scoring opportunity, in a corner kick and already with the very long injury time about to expire. It was Pauline Bremer who headed, putting the uncertainty, but finally Sandra Paños caught the ball. In this way, Barça added a second Champions League to its brilliant record.

DATASHEET.

--RESULT: FC BARCELONA, 3 - WOLFSBURGO, 2. (0-2, at halftime).

--LINEUPS:

FC BARCELONA: Cloths; Bronze, Paredes, Mapi León, Rolfö; Bonmatí (Putellas, min.90), Walsh (Engen, min.89), Patri Guijarro; Graham Hansen (Crnogorcevic, min.79), Paralluelo (Geyse, min.70) and Caldentey (Pina, min.79).

WOLFSBURGO: Frohms; Wilms (Hegering, min.84), Hendrich, Janssen, Rauch; Oberdorf, Roord (Lattwein, min. 72), Huth; Jónsdóttir, Pajor (Bremer, min.84) y Popp.

--GOALS:

0-1, min.3: Pies.

0-2, min. 37: Doll.

1-2, min.48: Patri Guijarro.

2-2, min.50: Patri Guijarro.

3-2, min.70: Rolfö.

--REFEREE: Cheryl Foster (WAL). She yellow carded Aitana Bonmatí (min.33) and Peredes (min.90 4) at FC Barcelona; and Hendrich (min.21), Jónsdóttir (min.77) and Popp (min.90 4) at Wolfsburg.

--STADIUM: PSV Stadion in Eindhoven (Netherlands), 34,100 spectators.