Barcelona survived a scare in the Women’s Champions League as the holders battled back from a goal down to defeat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 thanks to quickfire strikes from Salma Paralluelo.
Barça were heavy favourites to follow up the 5-0 thrashing against Benfica in their opening match against the German side. But Eintracht had also picked up a victory in their first match, against Sweden’s Rosengård, and showed they were no pushovers by taking the lead three minutes before half-time through Laura Freigang.
Salma Paralluelo brings Barcelona level to start the second frame 👊
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) November 22, 2023
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Barcelona were quick to hit back after the break as 20-year-old Paralluelo scored her first of the evening after finishing off Ona Batlle’s cross. María Caldentey then put the visitors in front following a corner.
Paralluelo, who missed out on the Golden Girl award for Europe’s best under-21 player at the Tuttosport awards last week to Colombia’s Linda Caicedo, extended their lead four minutes later from Aitani Bonmatí’s cut-back after a strong attacking run from Caroline Graham Hansen.
Roundup: Van de Donk leads way for Lyon
Lyon made it two wins from two in Group B as Daniëlle van de Donk’s early header set up a 2-0 victory over Austrian side St Pölten. The Dutch international steered home Selma Bacha’s cross in the fourth minute, with Leonardo Balog’s own goal securing victory for the hosts early in the second half.
Brann joined Lyon on six points after a 1-0 win over Slavia Prague, who had lost 9-0 to the French heavyweights on matchday one. This was a much closer contest, settled by a close-range header from Larissa Crummer.
In Group A, Benfica picked up their first points of the campaign by beating Rosengård thanks to a second-half goal from Kika Nazareth. The Portugal forward finished well into the bottom corner after Jessica Silva’s turn and run into the penalty area.
