"There is no intent. Salma has very long hair, there might be a desire to stretch the shirt on Kett's part, but when the hair is long, you can stretch it a bit unintentionally. The red card is too much," said José Barcala, coach of Bayern Munich, after the match. Barça drew one all at the Allianz Arena and will play for the Champions League final next Sunday (4:30 p.m.) at Camp Nou.

Barça draws at Bayern Munich (1-1) and will have to win next Sunday (4:30 PM) at Camp Nou to be in the Champions League final in Oslo. The blaugranes took an early lead with a goal from Ewa Pajor in an imposing setting like the Allianz Arena —which acted as the 12th player—, but saw Kett —who was sent off after pulling Salma's hair— equalize the match in the second half.

Mariona Caldentey, Jana Fernández, Laia Codina, Lucía Corrales… These are just a few names of footballers who in recent years have swapped Barça for England. A phenomenon that is becoming increasingly frequent among Spanish female footballers. The conditions and opportunities in the Women’s Super League (WSL) – the name given to the English top division – are becoming increasingly attractive for players, who decide to embark on a new adventure in search of more competitive projects.

"The extraordinary thing is that it seems normal." With this slogan, Barça celebrated the men's league in the 2018-19 season. The team then led by Ernesto Valverde had just won their eighth league title in eleven seasons. At that time, the first women's team only had four league titles to their name. Since then, the blaugranes have been crowned champions of the domestic competition in the next seven seasons and now have eleven league titles. The latest one, this Wednesday after beating Espanyol 1-4 away. With more than ten points ahead of Real Madrid and with four matchdays left to finish the competition, Barça already has the second trophy of the season in their trophy cabinet, after the Spanish Super Cup.

"The extraordinary thing is that it seems normal." With this motto, Barça celebrated the men's league in the 2018-19 season. The team then led by Ernesto Valverde had just won their eighth league title in eleven seasons. At that time, the first women's team only had four league titles to their name. Since then, the Blaugranas have been crowned champions of the state competition every season and now have eleven league titles. The last one, this Wednesday after winning 1-4 on Espanyol's ground. With more than ten points clear of Real Madrid, and with four matchdays left to finish the competition, Barça already has the second trophy of the season in their trophy cabinet, after the Spanish Super Cup.

The rivalry between Barça and Espanyol is very present whenever the two clubs face each other. A few weeks ago it was experienced at the Camp Nou with the men's derby and at Johan Cruyff in the match between the reserve teams, and this Wednesday (7 p.m.) the excitement moves to the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque with the duel that will pit the two women's teams against each other. A match that takes on special relevance because the blaugranes could certify the League title at the home of their eternal rival. Pere Romeu's team depends on itself and will be champions if they beat Espanyol. In the minds of all culers and pericos is what happened three years ago, in 2023, at the RCDE Stadium, when an invasion forced the cancellation of the blaugranes' celebration on the pitch. Fortunately, the blanc-i-blaves already have their survival assured and the tension will be less than what was experienced that day at the RCDE.

“Catalan boys and girls have 30% of the opportunities they would have if they lived elsewhere in the State”. This is the complaint made by UE Olot, as the representative of Catalan non-professional clubs along with Nàstic, at the assembly of the Catalan Football Federation (FCF) and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The team from Garrotxa has raised its voice to denounce the imbalance between the number of Catalan licenses and the places obtained by Catalan clubs in the semi-professional categories (Primera, Segunda, and Tercera Federación).

Successes are not synonymous with impact, a premise that Spanish water polo knows perfectly well. “We are a sport where when a major competition arrives, everyone sees an easy medal, but there isn't much follow-up during the season. We are a country where sports are very powerful and screen time is difficult to obtain, but I think we also have to do some internal self-criticism about why we don't know how to sell our sport more,” analyzes David Martín (Barcelona, 1977), the Spanish men's water polo coach since late 2016. The coach, however, emphasizes that it is not something that worries them. “The guys are clear that we don't train to have more impact, but for our dignity and our ambition.”

Once training and the gym session were over, Laia Ballesté Sciora (Ampolla, 1999) speaks to ARA at the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque. The activity is frantic and doesn't stop, but while other La21 academy teams are training, on the grandstand of the pitch the player takes time to reflect on everything she has experienced in recent months and years. "It has been a season in which we achieved the goal of salvation early, but we are an ambitious team and we want to get more points." She doesn't like being in the media or speaking in front of microphones, but she agrees to do the interview. "I'm very reserved, I have to work on the subject of communication," she confesses.

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.