With Barcelona Femení’s dominance in Spain, all the pressure is on the Champions League. The loss to Wolfsburg last season in the semi-finals of the competition was one full of missed chances, and after a trip to the final the year prior, expectations are high.
With high expectations can come trepidation and hesitation, but the Femení showed neither in a dominant 4-0 win over Fortuna Hjørring in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
While it was a commanding victory, Fortuna was not an easy side to break down. The Danish side put as many bodies in the box as possible and allowed Barcelona to get off a myriad of crosses from Caroline Graham Hansen’s right wing.
Fortunately for the Blaugrana, Jenni Hermoso got her head on a Graham Hansen cross in the 12th minute and put her side in the driver’s seat for the match. The dam didn’t necessarily burst at that point, but the hesitation shifted from Barcelona to their opponent.
The Spanish forward followed that up six minutes later with a similar move to the back post with a header on a similar cross from Graham Hansen and doubled the lead.
The Johan Cruyff Stadium has been a fortress for the Femení this season, and it is helpful that Fortuna didn’t have a shot until the second half. The Danish side, who reached the UEFA Women’s Cup Final back in the 2002-03 season, is on the younger side, and Barcelona’s experience shone through in the second 45 minutes.
Lluís Cortés looked to break down the Fortuna defense further by bringing the wingers closer into the middle of the field and trying to execute more precise overlaps. Fortuna attempted to pull their defense out on occasion, but the Femení was still able find a third from who else but a Graham Hansen cross to Jenni Hermoso, completing her hat-trick.
While Lieke Martens is dealing with minor injuries, Cortés still had an incredible amount of talent on his bench to finish off the game. Melanie Serrano, Kheira Hamraoui, Asisat Oshoala, and Andrea Falcón all entered to add experience to a side that was still pushing for more.
The fourth goal came from a set piece finished off by Alexia Putellas, who now has three goals in the last two games in the Champions League.
The return leg is set for March 10, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cortés to continue to urge his team forward for more goals with a first choice line-up, looking to be as sharp as possible for the next round. Another Champions League favorite will likely be waiting in the Quarterfinals.
Dan Hilton is an American journalist, broadcaster, and current Editor-in-Chief of BarcaBlog. Extensive work as a play-by-play broadcaster, producer behind the scenes, and quite average player in his younger years has given him a well-rounded and informative perspective on the sport. Alongside BarcaBlog founder Francesc, Dan started The Barcelona Podcast in 2017
