Ona Batlle earns renewal in controversial semi-final

BarcelonaBarça displayed their quality, overcame all external obstacles, and qualified for the Spanish Super Cup final by defeating Athletic Club 3-1 in the semifinals, with one player standing out: Ona Batlle. The Catalan full-back—who has been in the spotlight in recent days following comments from her agent suggesting that Barça should sell the Camp Nou to renew her contract—was key with a goal and an assist to turn the match around. The Blaugrana had to play with ten women for the entire second half after Kika Nazareth's controversial sending-off just before halftime, but they lived up to expectations and will face Real Madrid—who did the job against Atlético de Madrid 3-1—next Saturday at 7 p.m.

A match with a different script than those usually seen from Pere Romeu's team. After a few opening minutes of dominance and possession, Maite Zubieta found space behind the center-back. Neither Irene Paredes nor Cata Coll managed to intercept the play, and Mapi León arrived late and ended up conceding a penalty. Although the Barça goalkeeper guessed correctly, Nerea Nevado placed her shot perfectly, and it went in after hitting the post. Despite it being only the first half, the team's eagerness was evident on the pitch, with Barça looking to score a second goal before the first. But the quality was there; Alexia Putellas hit the crossbar, and Ona Batlle pounced on the rebound to level the score, thanks in part to the goalkeeper's less-than-stellar performance. With the score tied, the 2-1 lead soon followed. In recent weeks, Barça has found several scoring opportunities from set pieces, and in Castellón, it was Irene Paredes who capitalized on a rebound from the goalkeeper after Claudia Pina's shot to turn the game around. With the score in their favor, calm returned to the Barça side, although it wouldn't last long. In one of the last plays of the first half, Kika Nazareth collided with Landaluze in an aerial challenge for the ball. The Portuguese player extended her elbow and struck her opponent. What appeared to be an accidental incident in real time provoked a reaction from the Basque bench. Coach Javi Lerga requested a VAR review, and the referee sent off Nazareth for an alleged assault, much to the surprise of all the Barça players. However, in the second half, playing with one less player was not noticeable. Pere Romeu's team controlled the tempo of the match and sealed the victory with a counter-attack led by Ona Batlle, which Ewa Pajor finished off perfectly.