Barcelona 5-1 Roma (6-1 agg)
Barcelona cruised into the last four of the Women’s Champions League for the fifth straight year by routing Roma 5-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
Barcelona advanced 6-1 on aggregate and will face defending champion Lyon or Chelsea in April’s semifinals: Lyon defeated Barcelona 3-1 in last year’s final.
Fridolina Rolfö scored twice in the first half and Mapi León added another to make it 3-0 by the break. Asisat Oshoala and Patri Guijarro scored two more shortly after interval before Annamaria Serturini netted a fine consolation goal for Roma.
After winning the opening leg 1-0 at Stadio Olimpico in Rome in front of a record-setting crowd of 39,454, Barcelona dominated from the start at Camp Nou. Oshoala knocked down a cross for unmarked Rolfö in the 11th minute to fire in a low shot from 10 yards to double the aggregate lead.
Just after the half-hour mark, León unleashed an unstoppable left-footed drive from well outside the area that gave diving Roma goalkeeper Camelia Ceasar no chance. In first-half stoppage time, Caroline Graham Hansen broke down the right to provide a precise cross for Rolfö at the far post to tap in her second.
Just seconds in the second half, Aitana Bonmatí presented another perfectly timed cross from the right for Oshoala to make it 4-0 from close range. And minutes later, Guijarro headed in Hansen’s corner for the fifth.
Righto, that’s us done for now, but please check back – here or on the main bit of the site – for our report. And in the meantime, wade right into this. Oooh yeah!
Full-time: Barcelona (6) 5-1 (1) Roma
Another fine show and a fifth WCL semi in a row for Barca, who not only outclassed Roma – ruthlessly – but looked to have plenty more in the tank. It’ll take something very serious to stop them, though Chelsea and Lyon are both that.
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90+3 min And from 25 yards, Giugliano flights the free-kick over the top.
90+2 min Fernandez yanks back Kramzar who might’ve stolen a yard; she’s booked.
90+2 min As this tie expires, we should credit Roma , who’ve improved massively, for getting this far and for sticking to it when other, less resolute sides might’ve collapsed.
90 min There’ll be three added minutes.
90 min Back to what might happen next, I’d expect the winner to come from the Barca/Chelsea/Lyon semi; from what I’ve seen, only Paris, of the teams in the other half of the bracket have enough to trouble those three in a big game.
88 min Barca keep the ball. Of course they do.
86 min Another Barca corner, Caesar comes and flaps, then Patri hooks goalwards and Linari clears. But Barca come again and Geyse, with a sight of goal, powers one of those dead quick futsal-style strikes, bringing a fine save out of Caesar to flings out an arm to spear behind. The resultant corner comes to nothing.
85 min Patri sends a ball in behind and Caesar dashes out, doing just enough to poke away from Geyse.
84 min I think, over two legs, this Barca side will be very difficult to beat, because their possession-heavy style – and general brilliance – makes them likely to outscore anyone. But over one 90 minutes, there’s greater scope for them to have an off-night or for an opponent to have a day out, so I imagine they’ll be the team everyone wants to avoid in the draw.
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82 min Hello! Here come Roma down the right, Di Gugliano crossing low for Kramzar, darting towards the near post, but she can’t find the contact she needs, sending the ball skewing wide which allows Bronze to clear up.
80 min Change for Barca, the fantastic Rolfo replaced by Rabano.
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79 min I’ve not a clue who’s going to win this trophy, but Barca are my favourites. Chelsea, though, have Lauren James and Sam Kerr able to get in behind then do something – the matchup might work nicely for them, in some ways – while Lyon come armed with the certainty that they can do it.
78 min Another change for Roma, Ciccotti on for Andressa.
76 min Barce have looked especially nasty down the right and they triangulate again in that area, before Patri sends in a cross that Fernandez can’t quite control.
74 min Now the corner comes in and someone – Patri I think – is up, but again, Linari blocks. Hers has been a colossal performance; without it, this is close to double figures.
73 min Barca win a corner so both sides use the break in play to make a change: Barca take off Leon, who’s been excellent, and send on Fernandez; Roma remove Giacinti and give Kramzar a go.
72 min Barca have an overload down the right and Graham Hansen tells Geyse to leave the ball for her … before clipping it square behind anyone who might do something with it.
70 min Another decent corner, this time curled in by Leon – it’s from the right, not the left – and at the back post, Geyse heads over.
70 min Graham Hansen has been quieter second half, but here she is again down the right and again, Linari is there to block her cross behind.
68 min I’ve not a clue who’ll win that Arsenal v Bayern tie. If arsenal were at full-strength, I’d expect them to see it home, but they really struggled to control Lea Schuller in the first leg and Bayern will have taken loads of confidence from beating Wolfsburg at the weekend.
66 min A triple-change for barca, Oshoala, Paralluelo and Walsh going off, Geyse, Vilamala and Syrstad Engen coming on.
65 min Yeah, we aren’t finished with this; not a long chalk.
63 min Roma are game, and when Andressa finds Giacinti, she shoots from 20 yards and a sprawling Panos saves.
62 min Barca are hunting for more but they lose possession and Oshoala isn’t having another counter, tripping De Guglielmo and wearing the inevitable yellow card.
60 min Linari has been a giant tonight, and she saves her side again when Bonmati feeds Patri, who flicks the other way to play Oshoala in. But just as 6-1 looks inevitable, she hesistates and Linari slides in to block her delayed effort.
LOVELY GOAL! Barcelona (6) 5-1 (1) Roma (Serturini 58)
Roma counter and Andressa finds Serturini, just right of centre; she teases Leon, swaying inside and out, then drills a fine finish into the far bottom corner! The comeback is on!
57 min Eeesh, almost a sixth! Again, it’s Bonmati digging a psss out wide to Rolfo, and the only reason Oshoala doesn’t nod her cross home is that as she’s shaping so to do, Linari gets a flick on the ball.
55 min Ch ch ch changes: Roa send on Glionna and Di Guglielmo for Haavi and Bartoli.
GOAL! Barca (6) 5-0 (0) Roma (Patri 54)
Hansen swings her corner in towards the near post, where Patri leaps alone and flicks a header home; ouch. If you’re conceding those, there’s no limit to how many others you might also concede.
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53 min Roma look tired now, at sixes and sevens, and when Bonmati sends Rolfo down the left, it takes an exhausted, desperate lunge from Linari to stop the ball falling for Oshoala at cost of a corner.
51 min Barca don’t look to have settled. Oh dear. and it’s worth noting that three of their four goals have come from defenders; what if their attackers get themselves going?
48 min So what do we think about teams showing mercy? To give examples from my own football-watching career, I felt uncomfortable watching Man United beat Arsenal 8-2 in 2011, and was grateful Barca settled for 3-1 in the Champions League final earlier that year.
GOAL! Barcelona (5) 4-0 (0) Roma (Oshoala 46)
Gosh, this could get seriously vicious. Bronze coaxes a lush pass in behind, Bonmati races after it, far too quick for Greggi, and slides across to give Oshoala – who was extremely frustrated with her inability to score in the first leg – a tap-in.
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46 min Roma also make a half-time change, Losada off and Greggi on.
46 min We go again. Poor Roma must be hoping for a declaration.
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Half-time: Barcelona (4) 3-0 (0) Roma
I think Barca might sneak this one, though Roma have improved from 31% possession to 35% possession.
GOAL! Barcelona (4) 3-0 (0) Roma (Rolfo 45+2)
Yeah, this could get messy now. Barca build down the right with Bronze – Roma haven’t been able to contain them on that side – then Bonmati slides down the side for the irrepressible Graham Hansen, who measures a cross to the back post where Rolfo studs into the ground and in.
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45+1 min So what do Roma do here? Sit in to avoid a hiding, or try changing something to make a match of it? I do wonder if they might changer formation; the thing is, they need an extra player in midfield BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF!
45 min We’ll have two added minutes.
43 min On which point, we’ve not been told Paredes is back on, but presumably she is.
42 min Eesh, Andressa turns beautifully, then wears a late one from Graham Hansen that catches her punkt on the foot. She’ll be fine.
40 min Again, Graham Hansen weaves past a player or two, this time coming in off the right – she’s so deft and clever in tight spaces – before Bartoli slides in to stop her attempted pass out wide.
39 min Barca move it nicely across the pitch from right to left, then Bronze comes infield to invert, taking a pass from Walsh … but a poor touch allows Losada to challenge.
38 min Haavi, of course, wanted a free-kick there, but the ref is correct to say no – the tackle was clean, and excellent.
36 min Again, Roma target the space in behind, but this time it’s Haavi on the run, and she’s gotta bitta pace. But Paredes is there on the slide, taking ball then player, but she hurts herself in the process, her toe going into the turf and the rest of her foot following it over the top. I think she’ll be fine, but for now she limps off.
35 min And now the stream does stop, Bartoli going down the right to no but unspecified avail.
WHAT A GOAL! Barcelona (3) 2-0 (0) Roma (Leon 34)
Walsh finds Leon, left of centre, 25 yards out, and given so much time you wonder if the stream has frozen, leathers a rising drive across Caesar and into the side-netting, halfway up! Barca are going into the last four!
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33 min Brilliant from Graham Hansen, sashaying inside and outside a pair of challenges to get into the box. But as the angle narrows, Caesar comes out to block the lifted finish.
32 min That said, until Barca score again, Roma are still in this. But you know the home side have several more gears to employ if things get tight.
30 min And it’s a while since that tactic yielded any serious threat.
28 min Roma need to get someone with pace through the middle, else the tactic of exploiting the space in behind the Barca defence is pointless.
26 min Bonmati finds Grahm Hansen, who chops inside Minami, sending her for a packet of paella before curling a low finish just wide of the far post.
26 min I’ve said this a fair few times watching other iterations of Barca, but there’s joy to be had against this side because they’re not great at the back; the problem is getting enough of the ball to create enough chances to do something.
25 min This is truly remarkable.
In October, Sergio Canales received the first red card of his decade-long career. By Mateu Lahoz (who else?). He was booked twice: for questioning the length of added time and when told to shut up, asking "why?" He has been banned for 4 games. Spanish football has lost its mind. https://t.co/Ugn7UqBFY4
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) March 29, 2023
Spanish football authorities are having quite the day:
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) March 29, 2023
- Sergio Canales banned for 4 matches in La Liga run-in for a red card from 5 months ago.
- Sevilla must close sections of their stadium next month for chanting "Sergio Ramos, son of a b****" 6 YEARS AND 2 MONTHS AGO! https://t.co/E2fsTiHqwS
23 min Bronze is careless in possession, Haavi taking advantage to flutter down the left. She beats Walsh on the outside, has a look, cuts back for Giacinti … and Leon is there to block off, then Haavi tries a cross which hits Bronze’s arm, which was tight to her body.
21 min Paralluelo swivels to clip a pass into the box from out on the left, Bonmati allowing it across he body and shooting low … but Linari blocks well.
20 min The definition of bravery: Roma trying to pass out. Shonuff, Barca quickly rob them, Bronze streaking down the right and sliding into a low cross that sends her hurtling into the advertising hoardings. She’ll be fine, though, and not just thanks to the nominative determinism of her middle name being Tough – her mum’s maiden name.
18 min The corner yields another, which comes to nowt. Roma are good, but the difference between these two sides is chasmic.
17 min Bonmati into Walsh, who punches a first-time pass in behind for Oshoala … whose first touch is a little untidy, allowing Wenniger to time a fine challenge. Corner to Barca, and a second goal feels like it’s in the post.
16 min And here comes Bronze down the right, curling a cross that’s got just too much on it for Paralluelo, backing up at the back post.
16 min The corner comes to nowt, but Roma are under so much pressure here, it’s hard not to see them losing by a few.
15 min Walsh curves a fine ball into space for Oshoala who, under pressure from Linari, lashes a shot that flicks off the defender’s boot and into the side-netting.
14 min Another ball over the top for Giacinti, but again, she doesn’t have the gas to get away from Leon and Paredes.
13 min It can’t just be me who thinks of this Patri every time they see Barca’s Patri.
GOAL! Barcelona (2) 1-0 (0) Roma (Rolfo 11)
This is a terrific finish! Paralluelo knocks back to Partri, who sings in an instacross that Linari, under pressure from Oshoala can only knock down to Rolfo, who absolutely animals a textbook first-timer with her laces, toes pointing down. Roma have a situation on their hands.
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9 min Another warning for Barca, a ball over the top sending Giacinti chasing through the middle … but Panos charges out to clear. Still, there’s joy to be had in behind the Barca defence.
7 min This is a bit better from Roma, moving the ball across the back four – that’s their 31% right there – but just as I’m about to note Barca’s high press killing them, they get Giugliano into space and she finds Serturini, who opens body to curl … drifting one just wide.
6 min Giacinti carries forward for Roma, into the Barca half for what feels like the first time. She doesn’t, though, have the pace to attack the space in behind, so is quickly crowded out.
6 min Roma can’t survive pressure as unrelenting as this, Paralluelo escaping down the left and crossing across the face of goal, but no one gambles so the ball runs safe.
5 min Rolfo finds Oshoala down the left, and she cleverly steps over the ball to get it on her inside, foxing Wenninger. She finds Bonmati who finds Hansen, but again Minami is there to force clear.
4 min It looks like the patter is set: Barca pass and move, Roma engage around a third of the way into their half, Barca try and score, then go again.
2 min Graham Hansen was excellent last week and looks lively tonight, taking the ball off Bonmati, easing across Minami, and scuffing a shot that Caesar saves easily enough.
1 min Immediately, Barca get their passing going, Bronze making ground down the right. Graham Hansen then finds herself in space, jinking along the by-line and into the box, but Minami is there to tackle and clear.
1 min Aaaaand away we go!
I should note that between the two matches of this tie, Barca won a clásico – 1-0, thanks to Rolfo’s penalty – and were able o rest four of tonight’s starting XI for that. Roma, on the other hand, had the weekend off.
The ground is filling up nicely – they’re expecting an attendance in excess of 50,000 – and just wait and see what happens if Barca move on. But in the meantime, here come our teams!
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This tie – and all the ties – can be watched here:
Tangentially, Dazn have, today, launched a bid to televise every EFL game – that’d end the 3pm blackout – and also want to bid for Premier League rights. No doubt this’ll be every bit as edifying as the rest of it all.
Oh man, it looks a lovely evening in Barcelona. For avoidance of doubt, the same is not so of north London.
Something else it’s worth bearing in mind when considering Barca: they’ve also lost Lieke Martens and Jenni Hermoso, and though both were past their best, seamlessly replacing legends of that calibre is rare.
Sumfink wot I rote:
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That is one of my all-time favourite riffs – feel free to share yours – so great that the rest of the tune, despite being brilliant, is almost a disappointment.
Public service announcement: the full 12” digital remaster of New Order’s The Perfect Kiss is on Spotify. Do not mind if I do.
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This is an interesting appointment:
Here’s the only goal of the first leg – and what a beauty it was.
Salma Paralluelo: What a way to score your first ever #UWCL goal! 🔵🔴
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 21, 2023
WATCH LIVE NOW ⬇️
🇬🇧 https://t.co/oCPI9CaE05
🇪🇸 https://t.co/ruacMchLjb
🇮🇹 https://t.co/L8DaalenUc pic.twitter.com/hjh6eGn2U5
Jonas Eidevall is a very impressive man, but I’d be surprised if he thinks Arsenal can win this competition. With Mead and Miedema, perhaps; without, I’d be amazed.
So how on earth do Roma make this a contest? They had just 31% possession last week, and that was at home; it seems unlikely they’ll get even as much as that playing away, on a massive pitch. On top of that, a chunk of that 31% will have been non-threatenining, meaning they’ve to be near-perfect in defence, so it matters what they do in attack, and near-perfect in attack, so they make the most of however much of the ball they get in dangerous areas. Good luck, old mates.
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The London Stadium isn’t worthy.
Obviously we’re bringing you Arsenal v Bayern later tonight, and there are also colossal matches tomorrow.
So Barcelona are unchanged from the first leg, while Roma make one alteration, Vicky Losada replacing Giada Greggi in midfield.
Teams!
Barcelona (4-3-3): Panos; Bronze, Paredes, Maria Leon, Rolfo; Bonmati, Walsh, Guijarro; Hansen, Paralluelo, Oshoala. Subs: Cata, Gemma, Codina, Jana, Crnogorcevic, Marta, Geyse, Bruna, Nuria, Engen, Emma, Vicky López.
Roma (4-4-2): Ceasar; Bartoli, Wenninger, Linari, Minami; Serturini, Giugliano, Losada, Haavi; Giacinti, Andressa. Subs: Merolla, Ohrstrom, Di Guglielmo, Cinotti, Landstrom, Ciccotti, Glionna, Selerud, Greggi, Kollmats, Kramzar.
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Preamble
When Barcelona demolished Chelsea to win the 2020-21 WCL – the second leg of a treble – it looked like we might be witnessing the start of an imperial phase. Though there were other good teams around, Barca – and Alexia Putellas in particular – were just a class above the rest, destined to dominate for the foreseeable.
Or not. In last season’s final, Lyon came steaming back at them, scoring thrice in the first 33 minutes to put the match away, and Barça have not been quite as good since.
But that’s not to say they won’t get back there. Putellas, who jiggered her cruciate in the summer, isn’t far off – if her team make it through tonight, she’s hoping to be available for the last four – while Salma Paralluelo, who bagged a brilliant winner in the first leg, is growing, with Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze settling. Something is brewing.
Roma, meanwhile, are top of the league, in decent nick, and defended really well in their home game. They did not, though, threaten much, and probably won’t find the big spaces of Camp Nou to their liking. Of course, they’ve still got a shot on the counter, but most likely, we end tonight wondering whether there’s another treble on the agenda.
Kick-off: 6.45pm local, 5.45pm BST
