Alexia and Salma project Barça towards a new Champions League final

BarcelonaThe 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.

When you have 60,000 people cheering you on non-stop, it's hard for things not to go your way. Even more so if you are an ambitious team that practically wins every game. At Camp Nou, two teams that are not accustomed to losing have met. The Bavarians and the blaugranas have only lost one match this season – the Germans at the Johan Cruyff by 7-1 and the Catalans at Real Sociedad's ground by 1-0 –. In the first leg, the 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena meant they had to win at Camp Nou to reach the final.

Barça made it clear, coming out to quickly seek the first goal with the initial push from the fans. The culés who went to the stadium played a key role before the initial whistle with the reception to the bus and the first stages of the match. The anthem sung a cappella gave the final motivation – if it was even needed – to the blaugrana footballers. Norwegian Graham Hansen – who will play the final in her home country – took advantage of Kett's suspension – who defended her very well in the first leg – and led the blaugrana attack. From her feet came the first chances and also the first goal after a cross to the far post that Salma, appearing from the second line, finished into the back of the net.

The joy lasted very little at the Camp Nou. After the ecstasy of scoring the 1-0 – the one that always costs Barça the most –, a loss by Irene Paredes in midfield generated a counter-attack from Bayern. Pernille Harder recovered and assisted Dallmann, who put the equalizer on the scoreboard to the disbelief in the stands of the Camp Nou. But great teams are measured by how they react after taking a blow. And here, Alexia excels. Salma, one of the two changes Pere Romeu has made to the starting eleven, put a cross into the penalty area that the Bavarian defense failed to clear, and Alexia took advantage to score and bring Barça closer to Oslo once again.

The performance after halftime has been that of a dominant team. The Blaugranas, determined not to give Bayern any hope, have sealed the tie in just over ten minutes. First it was Ewa Pajor, who finished off a cross from Salma, and shortly after Alexia took advantage of a cross from Claudia Pina that Esmee Brugts touched with her head to place –with suspense due to a possible offside– the 4-1. An absolute party at the Camp Nou, which has begun to enjoy the seventh Champions League final and the return of Aitana Bonmatí, who has returned to play after five months injured.

Tension until the end

But in football, nothing can be taken for granted until the referee blows the final whistle. Bayern have not given up and have fought until the end to be in the final. Pernille Harder took advantage of an error by Aitana in possession to close the gap, and from here, the Germans believed it. So much so that Caruso and Dallmann hit the crossbar, and Cata Coll saved Gilles' goal, while Aitana and Pajor had the chance to seal the match. The midfielder's shot went wide, while Mahmutovic, who had to play with a jersey that only had a number, without a sponsor or crest, due to the color clash, saved the Pole's shot. Harder made the Camp Nou tremble with a 4-3, but the goal – after a VAR review – was disallowed for a previous foul on Patri.

"All the stars have to align for us to win," said Edna Imade in the pre-match. The stars have aligned, but in Barça's favor. Everything has gone according to Pere Romeu's script, who will once again face a colossal challenge on May 23 against Jonatan Giráldez, whose assistant coach she was at Barça. The Catalans have done the job and will be in a Champions League final again. They want to get revenge for last year in Lisbon – where they lost to Arsenal – and continue dominating the European scene.