Pere Romeu adds a new goalscorer to his (long) list

BarcelonaVictory, a clean sheet, and rest for several players. Pere Romeu's game plan worked perfectly at Alavés' ground. Barça won convincingly at Mendizorrotza and continues with a full record of victories in Liga F (0-6). Carolina Ferrera, at just 16 years old, scored her first goal and joins the long list of young players that Pere Romeu has given a debut to—and who have scored—in the two-plus years he has been on the blaugrana bench. Graham Hansen, Sydney Schertenleib, and Claudia Pina—with a hat trick—also found the back of the net.

With sights set on the Champions League debut—Wednesday the 23rd against Paris FC at the Johan Cruyff stadium at 9 PM—the Catalan coach was not afraid to make rotations. Starting in goal, where Gemma Font took the place of Cata Coll, who did not travel to Vitoria for technical reasons, and continuing in defense—with Lúa Arufe at left-back—and in midfield, where Carolina Ferrera, from the reserve team, started. Claudia Pina, Kika Nazareth, Esmee Brugts, and Clara Serrajordi—now recovered from her injury—waited for their moment on the bench.

Opening large stadiums in the Liga F usually involves two very different perspectives. On one hand, it is to be celebrated that clubs like Alavés commit to playing all their matches at Mendizorrotza. However, seeing a large part of the stands empty in a stadium that holds nearly 20,000 people leaves a poor television image of the match. Attendance is one of the competition's major points for improvement.

Sydney takes the necessary step forward

The match started with great intensity for both teams. Barça wanted to set the pace and control, while Alavés pressed and looked to launch counterattacks as quickly as possible. An equality that lasted only a few minutes. The quality of the 'blaugranes' appeared quickly with an excellent control by Patri Guijarro in the middle of the field –to control an aerial ball– before combining with Graham Hansen, who did not forgive the 0-1.

The Catalans, who know how to accelerate the game when necessary, began to pen Alavés into their own area and Sofía Fuente, one of the most outstanding goalkeepers in this start of the competition, once again demonstrated her quality on the pitch. She could do nothing, however, to prevent the goal by Sydney Schertenleib, who finished off a corner taken by Graham Hansen and a great assist from Ewa Pajor. The Swiss footballer –who after playing as a winger, a pivot, and an interior midfielder, now stands out as a full-back on the right flank– once again played a great game. She was one of the players who had to take a step forward this season, and, for the moment, she is doing so.

But Barça were not satisfied. Pere Romeu requested a VAR review for a possible penalty on Carolina Ferrera –one of the surprises in the starting eleven–, but the referee did not consider it punishable. Another review lost by the Catalan coach, who rarely manages to change the official's initial decision. It did not matter to the midfielder from the Canary Islands, who shortly after took advantage of a clearance at the edge of the area –once again, in a corner kick action– to score her first goal with a great shot from the edge of the area.

A Blaugrana gale, which did not stop in the second half with three goals from Claudia Pina: the first after a pass from Ewa Pajor, the second with a great shot from the midfield line to beat an advanced Sofía Fuente, and the third with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area. A match that also served to see the debut of Clara Serrajordi this season, now recovered from the fracture of the styloid process of the right radius that she suffered during the training camp with the Spanish U-20 national team.