Barcelona are well on their way to securing a spot in the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League after a resounding 4-1 victory over Wolfsburg. Meanwhile, Manchester City’s 2-0 win marked Chelsea’s first defeat this season in the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
In contrast to the closely contested 2023 Champions League final between these same sides, which Barcelona narrowly won 3-2 after trailing by two goals, Wednesday’s encounter was decidedly one-sided.
Barcelona gained the upper hand when Caitlin Dijkstra scored an own goal in the first half, with Irene Paredes and Salma Paralluelo adding two quickfire goals shortly after the interval to put the match beyond Wolfsburg’s reach.
Janina Minge managed to pull one back for Wolfsburg in the dying minutes, but Sydney Schertenleib sealed Barcelona’s emphatic win with a late fourth goal.
“Wolfsburg are a formidable team, but we have faith in our gameplay, our squad, and our players,” Paredes remarked to UEFA.
“We maintained a serious approach and made no mistakes—that’s crucial in matches like this. We had to stay vigilant, as they could exploit long balls to hurt us.”
Minge shared her thoughts with DAZN, saying: “It was incredibly challenging,” adding: “At times, we felt like we were running around aimlessly on the pitch… in the second half, we were merely chasing after them.”
Barcelona, winners of three of the last four Champions Leagues, took the lead after 26 minutes when Ewa Pajor, who spent nearly ten years at Wolfsburg, pressured Dijkstra into scoring an own goal from an Aitana Bonmati cross.
After the break, Barcelona quickly asserted their dominance with two goals in just three minutes.
Paredes found the net from close range after Wolfsburg failed to clear a corner, and just three minutes later, Paralluelo completed a swift attack to extend the lead.
Minge gave Wolfsburg a glimmer of hope with a header in the 79th minute, but Schertenleib’s stunning curling effort in the 88th minute ensured Barcelona’s grip on the tie.
Miedema’s Brilliance Sends City Past Chelsea
If Barcelona can secure their progression in the second leg, they will face the winner of Manchester City’s clash against Chelsea.
City hold the upper hand following their brilliant performance in Manchester, avenging their defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup final last weekend.
Chelsea, who currently lead the Women’s Super League, are on the hunt for their first Champions League title.
However, their unexpected defeat marked the end of an impressive 28-game unbeaten streak across all competitions in Sonia Bompastor’s first season in charge, casting doubt over their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
Given the absence of key forward Khadija Shaw, it was a commendable result for City’s interim manager Nick Cushing, who stepped in after Gareth Taylor’s dismissal last week.
This was the second of four consecutive matchups between the two teams within just 12 days, leading into a Super League clash on Sunday and the European second leg scheduled for March 27th.
City grabbed the lead just after the hour mark when Mary Fowler’s cross disrupted the Chelsea defence, allowing Vivianne Miedema’s shot to find the net off the crossbar.
Chelsea fought hard for an equaliser, but Mayra Ramirez had a goal ruled out for offside, and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd struck the bar with a thunderous effort.
Miedema made matters worse for Chelsea in the 89th minute, expertly receiving a pass from Kerolin inside the area and slotting it into the bottom corner.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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