Matchday 2 in the group stage of the Champions League saw Barcelona travel to Germany to face Eintracht Frankfurt. The defending champions didn’t have it easy against the competition’s first-timers and were forced to pull off a comeback in the second half to get a win away from home.
Barcelona looked far from their usual selves with an unconvincing performance in the first half, and Laura Freigeng put Frankfurt ahead late in the half with a beautiful header.
However, Barcelona showed why they were the champions of Europe, coming back from a goal down to score three goals in the second half.
A brace of goals from Salma Paralluelo and a brilliant finish from Mariona Caldentey pushed the Blaugrana over the line. Barcelona ended the match 3-1 after being forced to come from behind to snatch a win.
First Half
Frankfurt started the game very strongly, and with support from their home fans, the German side were able to settle into the game a lot faster than their visitors as it took Barcelona a little over fifteen minutes to get themselves into the game.
Regardless of the nerves from the Spanish giants, they dominated for the larger part of the first half. Mariona Caldentey was unable to convert after repeatedly finding the target three times as Barcelona went in search of an opener.
Frankfurt kept a well organized defensive line and managed to keep the Barcelona attackers quiet. The German side constantly threatened Barcelona on the counter with excellent combination between their front three.
However, against the run of play, Frankfurt scored the opener in the 42nd minute courtesy of Laura Freigeng. Barcelona failed to deal with a corner kick and the loose ball was sent back into the box where Freigeng pounced and headed home to put her team in the lead.
Barcelona found themselves behind at halftime and with their performance less convincing than usual, it seemed like the team would have to struggle to get a win away from home.
Second Half
Whatever happened in the Barcelona dressing room at halftime was enough to tun things around for the Blaugrana, as the champions showed a different side of their game in the second half.
A tactical tweak saw Mariona Caldentey and Salma Paralluelo change positions, with the young forward deployed into the middle of the front three. The move paid off as Barcelona equalized three minutes after the restart.
Ona Batlle made a decisive run down the left flank and passed the ball back to Salma Paralluelo, who scored from close range to get Barcelona level.
From that moment, Barcelona exerted their dominance over the game and controlled the rest of the match proceedings. In search of more goals to secure a win, Barcelona scored their second goal of the game in the 59th minute after Frankkfurt failed to clear their lines following a Barcelona corner.
Frankfurt failed to hack away Lucy Bronze’s header from their goal area and Mariona Caldentey pounced on the loose ball finding the back of the net to put Barcelona ahead.
The goal completed Barcelona’s comeback after the team had trailed by a goal in halftime.
However, Barcelona scored a third to seal all three points away from home courtesy of another goal from Salma Paralluelo in the 62nd minute. Aitana Bonmati exchanged passes with Caroline Graham Hansen before a lucky touch off a Frankfurt defender placed the ball in Aitana’s foot. The world’s best player cut the ball back to Salma Paralluelo, who found the back of the net with a first-time shot.
Barcelona almost scored their fourth in the 65th minute, but Frankfurt were lucky to survive an own goal scare. The Frankfurt defender deflected the ball past her own goalkeeper in an attempt to stop a Barcelona cross. However, the ball rolled out of play inches away from goal for a Barcelona corner.
Barcelona simply managed the game from that moment onward, keeping possession of the ball and keeping Frankfurt’s attackers at bay. However, the German side had flashes in front of goal in the 75th minute when Praniska almost pounced on a losse ball after Sandra Panos spilled the ball in the box. The goalkeeper quickly recovered and was awarded a freekick after the referee spotted a foul on her in the Frankfurt attacker’s attempt to score.
Panos was called into action again in the 83rd minute, and the goalkeeper made a fantastic save to prevent Praniska from scoring.
Barcelona kept possession of the ball for the rest of the game and simply passed the ball around until the final whistle was blown.
The victory makes it two wins out of two games for Barcelona Femeni in the Champions League.
I truly appreciate this post. I?¦ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again
I have been exploring for a bit for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this web site. Reading this information So i am glad to exhibit that I have an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I came upon just what I needed. I most undoubtedly will make certain to don’t fail to remember this site and provides it a look regularly.
I visited a lot of website but I think this one contains something extra in it in it
It’s the best time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you some interesting things or suggestions. Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read more things about it!
Good write-up, I?¦m regular visitor of one?¦s blog, maintain up the nice operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
Hello, you used to write great, but the last few posts have been kinda boringK I miss your great writings. Past few posts are just a little out of track! come on!