Barça avoids a toothache on a special occasion for Johan Cruyff
The Blaugranas beat Valencia, the bottom team in the F League, in the 100th match at the Sant Joan Despí stadium
BarcelonaAfter beating Real Madrid in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Queen's Cup, Barça have beaten Valencia (4-1) in the 100th match they have played at the Johan Cruyff stadium. The bottom club in the F League, who caused trouble for the Blaugranas because they could only beat them by a narrow 0-1 at Mestalla in the match corresponding to the first round, have not been able to put up much of a fight this time.
Pere Romeu has applied rotations, but they have come out with a starting eleven with outstanding figures from the team, such as Alexia Putellas - who has scored her 52nd goal in a match at the Johan Cruyff, more than anyone else - and Ewa Pajor, the team's reference striker. The Pole, who had just scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid, has found the net again.
After a heartfelt minute's silence in tribute to Carles Miñarro at the Blaugrana stadium, which was attended by 3,967 spectators, Barça started according to the expected narrative: absolute monopoly of possession of the ball and hanging around the rival area. But Valencia, with a very defensive approach, managed to do what nobody could have imagined: start the scoring.
Valencia's surprise is over in a flash
In an isolated counterattack play in the 15th minute, Phoenetia Browne protected the ball well with her back to assist Marina Martí on the run, and she surprised Gemma Font by beating Marta Torrejón in the run, first, and with a cutback, later, and connecting with a shot that, unintentionally, was saved by Irene Paredes.
The joy didn't last long for the Valencian team. In less than five minutes, Alexia Putellas collected a rebound in the heart of the area to tie the game. The equaliser boosted the Blaugranas, and Kika Nazareth, who started today, put Barça ahead and confirmed that Valencia's goal had only been a scare.
The score was 2-1 at half-time. After the restart, with the work done, Barça continued to attack. Thus, Pajor scored the third and Aitana Bonmatí scored the fourth, in the closing stages, after a very aesthetic control and finish. The Blaugranas did not allow Valencia to be a pain in the neck on a special occasion in Johan.
