Barcelona lose to a German side in the Champions League. It sounds familiar, but the comparisons to the men’s team stop there when speaking about the Barcelona Femení’s 1-0 loss to Wolfsburg in the UCL semi-finals.
Lluís Cortés team had not lost for 465 days. In fact, their last defeat came against Lyon in last season’s Champions League final. The count since was 33 wins and two draws in 35 matches. Not too bad for a team that hadn’t won the league title since 2015.
This loss will forever be connected to the other things happening at FC Barcelona at the same time. The heartbreak of the Messi news coincided almost to the hour with the Femení loss, but the exodus of the Barcelona Women is less of a disappointment than our hearts tell us.
The challenge will be to keep building. Last season the acquisition of Kheira Hamraoui and Asisat Oshoala (loan to permanent signing in the summer) helped the squad take the next step and get to the Champions League final. This season it was Jenni Hermoso returning to the club and Caroline Graham Hansen coming over from Wolfsburg.
The Femení were the stronger team in the first half. Oshoala and Hermoso had chances and Alexia Putellas had ample space to operate in. The double pivot of Hamraoui and Putellas was working to great effect in covering for Hermoso in the 4-2-3-1. They pinned back Wolfsburg with possession and ball circulation, and the backline put out all fires. Sandra Paños in net had enough saves to win a match.
Unfortunately Wolfsburg found a few more openings in the second half as Barcelona tired, and got their goal. The one critique from the match was how late Cortés used his substitutes. Patri Guijarro came on for Alexia Putellas in the 76th minute in a like-for-like swap. The 85th minute saw Vicky Losada and Lieke Martens enter the fray for Hamraoui and Leila Ouahbi, but maybe too little too late.
Wolfsburg were the favorites before the match started and it’s unsurprising that they will be in the Champions League final. However, the Barcelona Femení can hang their heads high after once again closing the gap on Europe’s best, even if the end result is worse on paper this season.
Progress is not linear, so Cortés will need to continue to keep a team that has only lost once in a year focused and hungry. That may be the hardest test moving forward. There are no major additions expected sans a few Barcelona B additions, so the squad will have stability heading into the 2020-21 season. When that starts is anyone’s guess, as Spanish squads are still waiting for confirmation on the start of the season.
Yet, even with the uncertainty surrounding their season, Barcelona knows who they are and what they have. Disappointment is the natural feeling for another season without the Champions League trophy, but don’t think that a loss in Europe is equal to an unsuccessful season. The Barcelona Femení are continuing to build something special.
