Barça humiliates Real Madrid (too) in the Champions League

MadridThe 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 started with great intensity and focus, quickly breaking the deadlock. Patri Guijarro threaded a pass to Alexia Putellas, who then assisted Ewa Pajor for the first goal of the match. The Polish player threw herself to the ground to head the ball into the back of the net. Pau Quesada's side had little time to react, as Barça doubled their lead after a cross from Vicky López down the right wing was headed in by Esmee Brugts. Pere Romeu opted to control the midfield with Clara Serrajordi – who had a very good game – alongside Patri Guijarro and Alexia Putellas. Vicky López played on the wing in place of Graham Hansen, who came on in the second half. However, things didn't go as Pau Quesada had hoped. After conceding the second goal, she took advantage of goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez's apparent discomfort to gather her players and call an impromptu timeout to make tactical adjustments. Real Madrid stopped pressing high up the pitch and settled into a deeper defensive block. The Madrid side responded with a quick pass from Misa to Athenea. The winger connected with Linda Caicedo, who outpaced Paredes and dribbled past Cata Coll to reduce the deficit. This prompted a reaction from Alfredo Di Stéfano, who resumed his encouragement after the Catalan side's two goals had silenced the Real Madrid fans. But Barça showed that the gap still existed and refused to give Real Madrid any chance. Two minutes after the score went to 2-1, Pina delivered a perfect corner for Paredes to head home. The set piece has been key in the last three Clásicos. In both the Copa de la Reina and the Supercopa matches, Barça broke the deadlock from a corner kick.

A result with good memories in Madrid

The Blaugrana wanted more, and Serrajordi linked up with Pajor, who finished perfectly past Misa to make it 1-4. Barça were enjoying themselves at the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium, as were the traveling fans. Graham Hansen, who came on in the second half and was very active, crossed for Vicky López, who scored the goal that put them in control of the scoreboard. Linda Caicedo reduced the deficit again with a stunning strike into the top corner, but Alexia, from the penalty spot, made it 2-6, a result reminiscent of Pep Guardiola's team's 2009 rout at the Santiago Bernabéu.

"Knowing our opponent, the tie isn't over. We hope many fans come to the Camp Nou and we can get another victory. It's a great result, but we still need to close out the tie. This season, this might be the match where we've had the most dominance and control of the game through possession, making it... it's just a statistic. Now we're focused on Sunday and the second leg," said Pere Romeu. The Blaugrana secured their place in the Champions League quarterfinals in the first leg in a match also marked by Mapi León's return to the pitch after two months. The return leg at the Camp Nou is next Thursday (6:45 pm).