Barça continues to advance towards winning La Liga F after a 6-0 thrashing of Badalona with goals from Salma Paralluelo from a penalty, Marta Torrejón, Sydney Schertenleib, Esmee Brugts, Mapi León, and Martine Fenger after a great start to the second half to seal the match. The Blaugranas could celebrate the title in a few weeks if they win at Espanyol's ground – time yet to be confirmed – or by default if Real Madrid does not earn three points against DUX Logroño.

Claudia Pina (Montcada i Reixac, 2001) is one of the standout names this season for Barça women's team. The Catalan player – who renewed her contract until 2029 in December – has grown over the years to earn a place in the starting eleven. "It's a result of evolution. She was a child, she shone at Sevilla, she returned, but breaking into the best team is complicated," Miguel Llorente, who managed the footballer at the Barça B team, tells ARA. So far this season, she has played 36 matches, 26 of them as a starter, scoring 19 goals for Barça.

“It’s not just about the money, it’s about time and growth”. This is the reflection made by Pau Quesada, technician of Real Madrid, after conceding the 6-0 at Camp Nou. Barça once again demonstrated why it is a benchmark team and one we can be proud of, as Alexia Putellas described after the match. “I feel that we are all moving in the same direction: fans, team, and club”, added the captain. The blaugranes filled Camp Nou with 60,067 people, the best attendance since returning to the stadium. The attendance against Real Madrid surpassed the 56,812 spectators who had gathered ten days earlier to watch Barça - Rayo Vallecano (1-0).

Words are running out to describe this team. The Barça women's team has once again made history, both on and off the field. Pere Romeu's squad has gathered 60,067 people at the Camp Nou – an absolute record since returning to the stadium, for both men's and women's teams –, Alexia Putellas has reached 500 matches with the blaugrana jersey and, on the field, has once again thrashed – and crucified – Real Madrid, for the third time in a week. 6-0 at the end of 90 minutes in Barcelona and 12-2 on aggregate in the tie. Barça advances with a firm step to the semifinals for the eighth consecutive season and will face Bayern Munich.

“Alexia is Barça”. That is how Irene Paredes and Patri Guijarro – two of the captains – summarize Alexia Putellas. Almost 5,000 days after wearing the Barça jersey for the first time, the Mollet native has once again made history at the Camp Nou, where she has reached 500 games in the blaugrana shirt. This is yet another example of what a key player represents in the growth of the Catalan club. When Alexia debuted with Barça on August 24, 2012 – after playing for Espanyol and Levante to grow and establish herself in the First Division –, Barça had not yet played any Champions League matches, had just won their first league title – now they are on their way to their eleventh – and only had two Cups in their trophy cabinet – on May 16th, they could lift their twelfth.

Joan Garcia has debuted with the Spanish national team and has been at the stadium that until last June was his home, the RCDE Stadium. The Spanish men's national team has returned to Catalonia four years later in a friendly against Egypt (0-0). One of the great attractions of the match was knowing whether the blue and red goalkeeper would debut with the senior national team. The Sallent-born player was dropped from the squad last Friday in Vila-real, but came on in the 62nd minute in Cornellà-El Prat with more applause than whistles – despite being booed by some fans during the warm-up due to his past with Espanyol–. Luis de la Fuente was also booed after not calling up Joan Garcia when he was with the white and blue team. If he had been called up before signing for Barça, his release clause would have increased by five million more, up to thirty.

Five points is what separates Barça from winning their seventh consecutive Liga F after beating them 0-3 at the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium. Ona Batlle opened the scoring with a long-range shot that deflected off Rocío Gálvez and broke through the defensive wall set up by Madrid, and Alexia Putellas –with Barça's 100th goal against the white team– and an own goal sealed the match. Graham Hansen, who started after being a substitute on Wednesday, had a great game.

Barça is once again a victim of the FIFA virus. Raphinha suffers an injury to the right thigh's femoral biceps and will be out for around five weeks, as confirmed by Barça after the medical tests carried out by the Brazilian national team. The player was withdrawn injured from the friendly he played on Thursday with Brazil after feeling a twinge in the back of his right leg and will return to Barcelona in the coming hours to begin his recovery. ARA had already reported that the footballer's initial sensations were not good at all and everything pointed to a muscle tear. The club is unhappy with the calendar for scheduling friendly matches at this point in the season when teams are fighting for titles.

The gap between Barça and Real Madrid remains evident. The Blaugrana have secured their place in the Champions League quarterfinals after a resounding 6-2 victory at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, a result that brings back fond memories for the Catalan club in Madrid. Ewa Pajor – with a brace – Esmee Brugts, Irene Paredes, Vicky López, and Alexia Putellas sparked pandemonium in Madrid in a packed stadium. Linda Caicedo, with two goals, was the standout player for Real Madrid tonight, in a match played before more than 4,000 fans – some of them wearing Barça colors – who enjoyed a spectacular display of football, albeit not at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Barça will open Camp Nou on Thursday, April 2nd (6:45 pm) for the Women's Champions League quarter-final. Chelsea will play at Stamford Bridge; Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena; Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium; Manchester United at Old Trafford; Olympique Lyonnais at the Groupama Stadium; Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena... and Real Madrid at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium. This means that Real Madrid is the only team that will not open its main stadium for the Champions League quarter-finals. This is no surprise, as the team managed by Pau Quesada has never played at the Bernabéu since its creation in 2019, when it absorbed the modest Tacón. A year ago, midfielder Melanie Leupolz confessed on the podcast... Kicker FE:maleShe had spoken with Florentino Pérez. The German footballer explained that the Real Madrid president told the players he would open the Santiago Bernabéu stadium to the women's first team "when they win their first title."

Barça will arrive in Madrid with the best possible feeling after thrashing Athletic Club at the Johan Cruyff Stadium with goals from Salma Paralluelo, Carla Julià, Sydney Schertenleib, and braces from Claudia Pina and Kika Nazareth (7-1). A large crowd is expected to witness another impressive performance from Pere Romeu's team before they face Real Madrid three times in a week. The Blaugrana will visit the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium next Wednesday, April 25, for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final (6:45 pm) and again on Sunday, April 29, for a league match (9 pm). Furthermore, on Thursday, April 2, Barça will return to the Camp Nou for the second leg of their Champions League tie (6:45 pm). Salma Paralluelo—who played left-back against Badalona last Wednesday and center forward this Saturday—started the Catalan victory with the first goal of the match after a through ball from Clara Serrajordi to Alexia Putellas bypassed two lines of pressure. The midfielder from Mollet del Vallès crossed the ball and Salma sent it into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

Alexia Putellas is the big name in this final stretch of the season. The captain's contract ends next June, although she has an option for another year. The player from Mollet del Vallès is very happy at Barça, "the club of her life," but she isn't thinking about her future right now. Alexia is highly motivated and focused on the remainder of the season. The midfielder has stood out in the last two victoriesHis three goals have given him a lot of confidence ahead of the most demanding matches. The club explains that they are in "ongoing talks," but according to ARA, the renewal will not happen immediately.

Barça and Atlético de Madrid will face each other again on Saturday, May 16th at the Gran Canaria stadium. It will be a rematch of last year's Copa de la Reina final – with a 2-0 victory for Barcelona – after the Blaugrana lived up to expectations against Badalona Women following a 0-0 draw in the first leg (4-1), and Atlético Madrid eliminated Tenerife on Tuesday (2-1). But the first goal of the match – and of the tie – was a long time coming. Alexia Putellas opened the scoring just before halftime, and from then on, the game slowed down. The captain, from the penalty spot, made it 2-0, while Kika Nazareth and Ewa Pajor completed the scoring. Lice Chamorro scored Badalona's lone goal (4-1).

Marta Torrejón was the only player yet to find the net this season. The defender from Mataró was the only registered first-team player – with the exception of goalkeepers Cata Coll and Gemma Font – who hadn't scored. Her goal came in the most unexpected way possible, after a cross that initially found no one and ended up going in, unlocking a match that was becoming increasingly difficult for Barça. Alexia Putellas then scored the second goal in the imposing Riazor stadium to secure a 2-0 victory for Deportivo.

"We'll dream big until it's no longer possible." Banini's words in the pre-match press conference in Badalona will resonate even more strongly in the Badalona dressing room next week. Marc Ballester's team secured a draw against Barça after a defensive masterclass (0-0), and the Copa de la Reina semifinals will be decided next Wednesday, the 18th, at the Johan Cruyff Stadium (9 pm).

Two years ago, Levante Badalona (now Badalona Women) arrived at the Badalona Municipal Stadium aiming for the top spots in Liga F. After narrowly avoiding relegation in the final weeks of the season, the Badalona side has taken its first step forward under the guidance of coach Marc Ballester. Currently eighth, just three points behind Atlético de Madrid (sixth place), optimism has taken hold at ONA, as the team is known. "Barça is a long way off, but so are Real Madrid and other clubs with very large budgets. Our realistic goal is a fifth or sixth place finish," Ballester stated a few days before another historic milestone. Badalona Women will play the first leg of the Copa de la Reina semifinals against Barça this Thursday (9 pm). "We've earned the right to be where we are."

Xavi Hernández has broken his silence for the first time since leaving Barça. "I want to tell my truth. I decided not to make any statements after leaving the club out of respect for Barça," the Terrassa native said in an interview. The VanguardThe former Barcelona coach has explained his version of events after being dismissed. "I'm out because I stood up to Alejandro Echevarría. That's how this Barça works; it's practically run by Alejandro Echevarría, who went around talking to players like Sergi Roberto, Araujo, Pedri, and Raphinha and told them I wanted to sell them." The Terrassa native explained that after announcing his departure at the end of the season, the board tried to convince him to stay, although he had doubts. After Barça's elimination against PSG in the Champions League, Echevarría—Laporta's right-hand man—told Xavi that most of the directors weren't sure about him continuing. However, according to Xavi, at a dinner at Laporta's house, she convinced him to stay. "I only asked for one change in the squad; we were only letting go of one player, not ten."

More than 55 years ago, a group of pioneering women made history by defying the society of that time. On December 25, 1970—still under Franco's dictatorship—Barça Women played their first match at Camp Nou. Imma Cabecerán was one of those responsible after meeting with the then-president of Barça, Agustí Montal i Costa. "If you bring me 15 girls, go ahead," was the response from the top Barça official. And so it was done. Through an advertisement in the newspaper, many women called to join the project. "They told us to meet at the Barcelona sports complex, where the Miniestadi used to be. After a month of training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the day arrived to play at Camp Nou," explains Lolita Ortiz (Barcelona, ​​1944), one of the pioneers who is currently part of the Barça Women's Players Association.

Xavi Llorens (Barcelona, ​​1958) is the quintessential unsung hero of Barça. A pioneer of the women's team – which he managed between 2006 and 2017 – Llorens has also been involved in futsal and youth football, allowing him to boast of having been Leo Messi's first coach at the club. "I've always been told that a pétanque team will be formed and that I'll have to start it. What I like is being in the shadows, doing less visible work, and going almost unnoticed," he explains to ARA. The coach – who has played various roles in the game of pétanque – laid the foundations for a Barça team that won three Champions League titles. "We just had to work and convince the players that what we wanted to do was win a lot of things," he says.

Barça now knows its path to the Champions League final, which this season will be held in Budapest on May 30. After narrowly missing out on last season's final in a heartbreaking tie against Inter Milan, the Catalan club will be looking to reach a European final again eleven years later. But to achieve this, they will first have to overcome Newcastle, another tough opponent. "It's a draw where we could have faced two very different teams, but both have their difficulties. Newcastle is a tough side, and it's a difficult ground where we've already struggled," said sporting director Deco from Switzerland.