The triumph of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final led to a night of incidents in the French capital. While the team led by Luis Enrique celebrated winning the title, incidents began in the streets of Paris that ended with the death of one person, a motorcyclist who fell. The French government announced 780 arrests – 457 of them in police custody – 32% more than a year ago for the same celebration. For years in France, sporting successes, both for clubs and the national team, have ended in serious riots. In this case, 57 police officers were injured, as well as 219 participants in the festivities, eight of whom seriously. Of the 780 arrests, 480 took place in Paris.

When The Killers started to hit it big, Arsenal won what was their last Premier League in 22 years (2004) and played their first Champions League final (2006). Mr. Brightside, the first big hit from the well-known band from Las Vegas, defined a generation at the beginning of the century. It was, just like other tracks by The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand or Arcade Fire, a classic on DJ Amable's playlists at Sala Razzmatazz and caused dopamine rushes at Karma, a club that closed a few months ago after half a century filling the nights of thousands of Barcelonans. Then came Human, which became one of Pep Guardiola's Barça anthems, and other anthems of verse, chorus, bridge, coda, and raised fist. What times those were.

“After receiving criticism all year, I hope they praise us a little now, as it's our turn. We are doing a very good job”. That’s how emphatically Cata Coll spoke after winning the Champions League final in Oslo (4-0). Barça once again touched the sky in Norway after a complicated season marked by criticism and doubts. After the triumph, it was time to celebrate. The night in Oslo was long. "We celebrated it as it should be," said the young Clara Serrajordi, from La Masia, when she arrived in Barcelona, where thousands of people were waiting on a stage on Avinguda de Maria Cristina despite the heatwave, which caused some scares among those present. This was not the case for Joan Laporta, who ended up on stage embracing Alexia Putellas while the members of the group Figa Flawas sang euphorically.

The images of Ewa Pajor celebrating the second goal, lifted by her teammates, with a fist in the air, will remain in the memory of Barça's women's team's fourth Champions League title. Or that of the players embracing after Salma, with two more goals, sealed the thrashing of Olympique de Lyon in the Oslo final (4-0). But the title would not be a reality without the performance of the player who was a hundred meters away, being the team's last bastion, keeping a clean sheet and holding the team together when it was going through its toughest moments.

This Saturday (6:00 PM, TV3), Barça will once again be the center of attention across Europe. For the sixth consecutive year, the blaugranes will compete in the Champions League final. It will not be just any match. Pere Romeu's team will face Jonatan Giráldez's Olympique Lyonnais, the former coach of the Catalan team. The two best teams in Europe will meet at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo. The final has been preceded by the difficulties fans –and the press– have had in reaching Norway, but UEFA has already posted the sold-out ticket sign. Thousands of culers will fill the streets of Oslo and will try to win the battle in the stands, where 28,000 people are expected. Among them, the family of Caroline Graham Hansen, who will be playing at home.

A player will be sent off if they address an opponent with their mouth covered. This is the rule promoted by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that regulates the rules of the game. The measure has been approved with urgent character at the request of FIFA due to the alleged racist insults denounced by Vinícius Júnior from Gianluca Prestianni, a Benfica player.

The dream of Oslo is now a reality. On May 23, Barça will play in a Champions League final again – the sixth consecutive, the seventh in the last eight years – after beating Bayern Munich at Camp Nou. Pere Romeu's team has shown that they also know how to compete bravely against great rivals and overcome adverse scenarios, which they are not accustomed to throughout the season. Goals from Salma Paralluelo, Ewa Pajor, and Alexia Putellas – with a brace – allow Barça to dream of their fourth Champions League (4-2). In the Oslo final, they will face Olympique Lyon, featuring former blaugranas Jonatan Giráldez and Ingrid Engen.

"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.

Despite trying until the last second, Barça could not make the comeback against Atlètic de Madrid effective. The script of the match unfolded as expected, with Hansi Flick's team overwhelming Cholo Simeone's players, to the point that at times they opted to place a line of seven players in front of Juan Musso's goal. With the Blaugrana desperately seeking a gap in the defense, one of the most relevant actions of the duel occurred. Marcos Llorente threaded a good pass between the lines to leave Alexander Sorloth with a clear advantage against the Catalan defense. Eric Garcia, who was unable to cut off the attack, brought the Norwegian down when he was the last man, thus earning a direct red card and leaving Barça with 10 men at a crucial moment of the match.

Suffering, suffering much more than expected, but Bayern achieved the objective: to eliminate Real Madrid and qualify for the Champions League semi-finals (4-3, 6-4 on aggregate). Despite having a 1-2 from the first leg at the Bernabéu, the Bavarians needed a goal in the last minute from Luis Díaz, when the whites were playing with 10 men, and a goal from Olise in stoppage time to secure passage to the penultimate round of the competition. Madrid fell with honor, but fell, and is condemned to a second season without a trophy.

It couldn't be. Here are some hot takes.

It wasn't meant to be. Barça, eliminated from the Champions League after falling just short of a comeback (1-2). Despite finishing with ten players, the Catalans pushed until the end. Here are some immediate thoughts.

There is a veteran guide at Old Trafford who, when you reach the changing rooms of the imposing Manchester United stadium, stops in front of a mirror and likes to make this joke: "This is where Cristiano Ronaldo used to have a good time looking at himself in the mirror before each match," he says to the complicit smile of the tourists taking part in the tour. The Portuguese star was the first to love himself and to make it known, with more than one unfortunate statement: "They envy me because I'm handsome and rich." Represented by Jorge Mendes, he became a global star at United, first, and then at Real Madrid.Cristiano, not always easy to manage in the dressing room, reached 100 professional matches at twenty years old (19 years and 348 days) and with two trophies, a Super Cup with Sporting Portugal and an FA Cup with the Manchester team. Leo Messi did it at 20 years and 248 days and with five titles, including two Leagues and a Champions League. Lamine Yamal reached this figure much earlier: 17 years and 292 days, with a League and a European Championship under his belt. Now, at just 18 years old, he is on his way to winning his third League, as well as having won a Cup and two more Super Cups, and being Spain's star for the World Cup. Before reaching adulthood, he had already become a star. With all that it entails.

István Kovács's controversial performance at the Camp Nou opened a can of worms. Hansi Flick complained after the match about the refereeing errors that, according to the German coach, had conditioned the match, and Barça filed a formal complaint with UEFA to denounce that the Romanian referee's decisions "influenced the development and the outcome of the match". In this scenario of maximum tension, Roberto Rosetti, head of European refereeing, was obliged to bet on a safe bet for the return leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. When it comes to saving the furniture, there are 2 names on the table: the Frenchman Clément Turpin and the Pole Szymon Marciniak. The latter, however, officiated the Inter Milan-Barça Champions League semi-final last season and his performance caused a lot of controversy. Therefore, the choice was practically reduced to a single name: Turpin, who, curiously, had already refereed the first leg of the same tie between the Catalans and the Lombards at Montjuïc, which ended 3-3.

Barça put in the heart and football, but a cowardly Atlético de Madrid knew how to get oil from their visit to the Camp Nou (0-2). With two goals in barely three shots on target, the Colchoneros punished a blaugrana team that had to play the entire second half with one less player due to Pau Cubarsí's expulsion in the 43rd minute. The fans flocked to the stadium en masse, hopeful and excited about a group of players who have often made them happy with comebacks and thrashings, but this time the outcome was very cruel.

After losing in Mallorca (2-1) on Saturday and practically saying goodbye to La Liga with Barça seven points behind with eight matchdays left in the championship, Bayern Munich deepened the wound by storming the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2) in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Luis Díaz, in the 41st minute, and Harry Kane, right at the start of the second half, were the goalscorers for the team managed by Vincent Kompany, who failed to seize the opportunity and let a team relying on the inspiration of Kylian Mbappé, scorer of the white goal, leave alive.

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.

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.