FC Barcelona celebrates Alexia Putellas' return and the club's eighth league title

On April 30th, 5289 fans packed the Estadi Johan Cruyff in expectation and enthusiasm as FC Barcelona took the field intending to win their eighth league title. After the fantastic reception at Camp Nou for the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final match against Chelsea, the fans were ready to celebrate once again as coach Jonatan Giraldez had hinted at the return of the captain and world’s best player, Alexia Putellas.

Matchday 27 of the Finetwork Liga F saw FC Barcelona play against Sporting de Huelva. After the Champions League semi-final victory against Chelsea, coach Jonatan Giraldez decided to rest the starting XI from the match. Claudia Pina returned from injury and was the captain leading the team for the game. The Blaugranas created opportunities from the start, attacking via the flanks and causing all sorts of issues for the Huelva defence. The combination of Emma Ramirez and Ana Maria Crnogorcevic on the right proved problematic for Sporting de Huelva as the two created multiple chances in the first half. Huelva’s opportunities during counterattacks were thwarted by the pairing of Laia Codina and Jana Fernandez.

Photo during the Finetwork Liga F match between FC Barcelona Femeni and Sporting Huelva at Estadi Johan Cruyff, Barcelona. Photo by Lina A.

In the 38th minute, Barca won a freekick in a dangerous position, with Salma Parauellelo and Claudia Pina positioning themselves to take the shot as the latter’s volley was shot into the back of the net by Laia Codina. The defender earned her first goal of the season and gave Barca the lead at the end of the first half. In the opening minute of the second half, Barca had a close opportunity with Ana Maria Crnogorcevic again getting past the Huelva defense to cross the ball to Claudia Pina, but her shot was just wide. Throughout the beginning of the second half, Ana Maria Crnogorcevic, Claudia Pina and Salma Parauellelo were an absolute menace for Sporting de Huelva, forcing them to defend and not allowing them to move out of their half. In the 63rd minute, defender Jana Fernandez scores an absolute worldie from distance to increase the lead of the Blaugranas.

One of Huelva’s best chances of the game came from a Barca corner as they tried to capitalise during the counterattack, but Cata Coll was able to recover the ball and make the save, stopping Huelva from scoring. Asisat Oshoala received a beautiful from Jana Fernandez, who dribbled the ball past the Huelva defenders setting Oshoala up for the final strike to give FC Barcelona the final victory.

The Return of ‘La Reina’ Alexia Putellas

There has been a buzz in the air since the world’s best footballer received her medical clearance just before the Champions League match at Camp Nou. All heads turned to this game after Jonatan Giraldez announced in the post-match press conference that Alexia Putellas would be getting some minutes on Sunday’s league game. The excitement showed as the fans roared when Alexia started warming up during the match. After 299 days of sheer hard work and rehabilitation, La Reina was back as the stadium cheered her on. Estadi Johan Cruyff reverberated with the sounds of Alexia chants as the fans welcomed back their dear captain on the pitch after a gruesome ACL injury she picked up a day prior to the UEFA Women’s Euro. Alexia Putellas was substituted onto the pitch for Claudia Pina in the 74th minute giving her 15+ minutes to get back into the rhythm.

The world’s best player was immediately called into action as Patri Guijarro and Alexia Putellas created a goal-scoring opportunity in the 87th minute. Huelva conceded a freekick allowing Patri Guijarro to send a through ball to Alexia who took the shot with her dominant left foot however the shot just hit the side netting. A glimpse of the dangerous Barca midfield was coming into sight once again. The return of Alexia Putellas could not have been any sweeter had she scored the goal. Regardless, her comeback is a sign that she is ready to return to her best form.

Title Celebrations and Emotional Words

With the victory over Sporting de Huelva, FC Barcelona won their 8th league title, for the fourth consecutive time. The rain did not stop the fans or the team from celebrating their title win. Alexia Putellas was seen getting emotional as she spoke a few words asking the fans for their support for the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The Blaugrana team joined their captain as they chanted ‘Un Dia de Partit’ with the fans. Coach Jonatan Giraldez also joined to say a few words about the support and performance of the team throughout the season. With 26 wins from 26 matches, 108 goals scored and 5 conceded, Barca Femeni are a force to be reckoned with in Liga F and all of Europe.