April 30th, 2022, Volkswagen Arena. UWCL Semi-final Barcelona vs Wolfsburg. Image by James Whitehead.
After a 45-match winning streak, Barcelona lost their first game against VfL Wolfsburg in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final. Despite winning, Wolfsburg could not proceed due to the 5-3 aggregate score over two legs of the semi-final.
Goals from Tabea Wassmuth and Jill Roord secured the win for Wolfsburg, but Barcelona’s first leg dominance at Camp Nou (5-1) was enough for Barcelona to go through. Wolfsburg also broke its attendance record with 22,057 fans present in the stadium to support the respective teams.
The game was unlike what was seen at Camp Nou. Barcelona kept their 4-goal lead in the first half but also missed plenty of opportunities. However, what was familiar from the previous game was Barcelona dominating possession. The first half also showed both teams having a few opportunities to score.
There was also a change in lineup and tactics from Wolfsburg as they played in a 4-4-2 with Wassmuth and Pajor leading the attack compared to the 4-2-3-1, they played at Camp Nou. On the other hand, Barcelona did not make any changes to their lineup or formation.
We saw a lot more vigour from Wolfsburg in the second half as Wassmuth slotted the first goal home after it took a deflection in the 47th minute. Jill Roord then scored the second goal around the hour mark in a beautiful long ranger that left Sandra Panos frozen at her spot. While the two goals reduced the aggregate to 5-3, Barcelona defended and gained some control of the game with Ewa Pajor’s shot saved and Tabea Wassmuth’s shot blocked.
