Barcelona came back from two goals down to produce one of the comeback football scores of the weekend in the Women’s Champions League. The 2-0 deficit in the first half between the LigaF winners and Lyon in the 2022 championship match suggested that they were once more intimidated by the occasion. Ewa Pajor, who ended with nine goals in the Champions League, put Wolfsburg up after only three minutes by taking advantage of some poor play from Lucy Bronze. Just before the interval, Alexandra Popp added another point (37).
But in the first five minutes after the interval, all of the Germans’ fine first-half work was undone. Barcelona, the early favorites, pulled themselves even thanks to two goals from Patri Guijarro (48, 50). In the 70th minute, they accomplished their remarkable comeback. Following their success in 2021, Frida Rolfo scored to seal another Champions League championship after Wolfsburg’s amusing defense.
Although Barcelona had a strong start, Wolfsburg took the lead after three minutes because of a Bronze error in defense. Pajor got the fullback on the ball and shoved the England international out of the way so that a powerful strike could beat Sandra Panos. Between the two goals, Barcelona controlled the ball and created two excellent chances to tie the score. The first attempt came from a corner in the 13th minute, but Irene Parades glanced a free header wide. Then, with only the custodian to overcome, a fantastic cross from Mapi Leon was missed by Caroline Graham Hansen.
Then, just before the break, Wolfsburg once more shocked Barcelona. The Germans made a devastating break when Felicitas Rauch sprinted through the middle of the pitch and found Pajor on her right. Popp was able to tip the ball home after receiving a superb, curling cross from the forward. Popp and Leon fought to get to the ball first as Barcelona called for a foul, but VAR did not call for a review despite the incident.
Barcelona, though, did not stop there, tying the score in just three. Prior to putting the ball toward the middle, Caroline Graham Hansen played the ball into space down the right while actively pursuing it. Guijarro was there to turn the ball in, a skill Barcelona badly lacked in the opening period. The equalizer came two minutes later. Aitana Bonmati’s cross from the right flank was virtually an exact replica of the first Barcelona goal. Guijarro halted to put a low header beyond Merle Fromes with a low shot, setting up scenes of hysterical joy.
It appeared as though the winner would come soon after Barcelona tied the score, and with 20 minutes remaining, it did. The Wolfsburg defense made a series of comedic gaffes, as Lynn Wilms’ close-range clearing attempt struck Kathrin Hendrich. When the ball fell to Mariona Caldentey, she was able to keep it up under pressure and pass it to Rolfo. She finished the comeback by slipping home into an open net. Before the Barcelona celebrations really got going, Wolfsburg had a chance to tie the score in the ninth extra minute, but Pauline Bremer’s header from a corner sailed straight to Panos.
“I’m experiencing an incredible feeling right now. It’s difficult to put into words exactly how I feel since it’s a significant victory for us,” Barcelona manager Jonatan Giraldez said. “The way we handled it was crucial because winning the game often depends more on our personalities than it does on tactical alignments and physical circumstances. Everything was well while we were attacking in the first half. However, in order to put the ball in the net, we had to be a little more aggressive in the final meter. In the first half, we had a lot to play for, therefore the score of 2-0 hurt us.”
“Barcelona deserves congratulations. We had them where we wanted them when the score was 2-0 at the half,” Wolfsburg manager Tommy Stroot said. “At halftime, we attempted to modify a few things we could have done better and stabilise the things we did well in the first half. Barcelona was supposed to attack hard, but after giving up so fast, the second goal came as a result of that.”
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