28 mrt 2024 om 20:38 Update: 2 uur geleden
Esmee Brugts helped FC Barcelona to a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Thursday. The Dutch national team provided an assist in the 3-1 return win against Norwegian SK Brann.
Twenty-year-old Brugts provided the assist for Aitana Bonmatí’s opening goal halfway through the first half. The Spaniard placed the ball in the right corner after a nice action from the edge of the penalty area.
Early in the second half, Fridolina Rolfö doubled the lead. The Swede tapped the ball into the empty goal from close range, after Brann’s defense had failed to clear a cross from Caroline Graham Hansen.
Brann came back twenty minutes before the end through a slider from Tomine Svendheim, but in the final phase Barcelona expanded the margin again through a tap-in from substitute Patricia Guijarro. Brugts was substituted just under twenty minutes before time.
FC Barcelona had already won the first leg in Norway 1-2 last week. Brugts then came on in the final phase.
Barcelona meets Chelsea
Barcelona will face Chelsea in the semi-finals next month. The English team eliminated Ajax on Wednesday. After a 0-3 defeat in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, a 1-1 draw in London was not enough for the Amsterdam team.
The other semi-final is between Olympique Lyonnais and the winner of the diptych between Paris Saint-Germain and the Swedish BK Häcken. PSG and Häcken start the return on Thursday at 9 p.m.
Lieke Martens and Jackie Groenen are not part of the selection of Paris Saint-Germain due to injuries, which won the first leg 1-2.
