NOS Football•today, 8:55 PM
The football players of FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League without any problems. After title holder Barça had already won 2-1 against SK Brann in Norway last week, the Catalans reached the semi-finals in their own Estadi Johan Cruyff after a 3-1 victory.
PSG won 3-0 against the Swedish BK Häcken at the Parc des Princes in Paris, after the 2-1 victory for the French champions in the first match.
Brugts full of ingenuity
Dutch international Esmee Brugts was in the starting line-up for Barcelona, played for more than seventy minutes and provided the assist for Aitana Bonmatí’s 1-0.
Barcelona spared the visitors with three goals. Especially in the first minutes of the game, Brann goalkeeper Aurora Watten Mikalsen’s goal was a target. Orchestrated by captain Alexia Putellas and playmaker Bonmatí, the Catalans had numerous opportunities through Caroline Graham Hansen and Brugts.
The opening goal came after just under half an hour of play. Brugts ingeniously placed the ball on the edge of the penalty area for Bonmatí and quickly created space, after which the Spanish world football player of the year curled the ball into the far corner: 1-0.
Barcelona never ran into any problems, but they were also unable to decide the match immediately. Only after about an hour did the Norwegian women lend a hand. The ball almost bounced into their own goal via some Norwegian legs, just before the goalkeeper could make a save on the line. She couldn’t prevent Fridolina Rolfo’s tap-in: 2-0.
One of the few times that Brann entered the Spanish half after the break, he scored immediately. A sharp counter was shot in by Tomine Svendheim via the inside of the post: 2-1.
The fact that Barcelona did not want to be overwhelmed by a Norwegian final offensive became clear a few minutes later when the Spaniards looked for the attack and Rolfo almost scored her second. The pole was in the way.
After yet another rush and cross from Barcelona winger Graham, it was still a hit. Patri Guijarro easily tapped in at the far post: 3-1. Match decided, semi-finals reached.
French get-together in semi-finals
Jackie Groenen and Lieke Martens were missing for Paris Saint-Germain against BK Häcken. Groenen dropped out in the first leg in Sweden with a hamstring injury and Martens then suffered the same injury in the competition. The two are therefore not in the Dutch squad.
Tabitha Chawinga from Malawi shot the home team through the inside of the right post to make it 1-0 and in the 70th minute the American Korbin Albert doubled the lead.
Four minutes before the end, the Frenchwoman Marie-Antoinette Katoto set the final score at 3-0. For the visitors from Sweden, Dutch goalkeeper Loes Geurts remained on the bench for the entire match.
