Reigning champions Barcelona took a commanding lead in Wolfsburg, putting themselves firmly in control of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final tie. The visitors were clinical from the start, with Caitlin Dijkstra’s unfortunate own goal breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute. Shortly after, Barcelona extended their lead with a quickfire double from Irene Paredes and Salma Paralluelo, making it 3-0 by the 53rd minute.
Wolfsburg responded with a goal of their own, as Janina Minge pulled one back for the hosts, giving them a glimmer of hope. However, that hope was short-lived as substitute Sydney Schertenleib delivered a brilliant finish with just two minutes remaining, curling the ball into the net off the underside of the crossbar to restore Barcelona’s three-goal advantage.
The game began with Wolfsburg’s defense faltering in the 26th minute, when Caroline Graham Hansen played a perfectly timed pass through to Aitana Bonmati. Bonmati’s low delivery was then turned into an own goal by Dijkstra, giving Barcelona the lead. While Wolfsburg had moments of promise on the counter-attack, they were unable to match Barcelona’s sharp and fluid attacking play, which continued to dominate throughout the match.
After the break, Barcelona made sure the tie was well beyond doubt, scoring twice within the first eight minutes of the second half. Paredes found the net at the near post following a short corner, and Paralluelo fired a deflected shot from the edge of the box into the back of the net.
Wolfsburg managed to pull one back in the 79th minute when Minge headed in from their first corner, giving the hosts a glimmer of hope. However, it was Schertenleib who sealed the win for Barcelona, making it 4-1 with her excellent strike late in the game.
The result puts Wolfsburg, six-time finalists, in a difficult position heading into the second leg in Spain on Thursday, March 27th (17:45 GMT), where they will need a dramatic turnaround to advance.
