BARCELONA ARE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE BABY
and we've entered Sportsmanship Month
Happy Sportsmanship Month everyone!
Fridolina Rolfö is a European champion!! Barcelona finally got to grasp the trophy again! I missed the game because I had a game of my own lol, but what a relief it was when I came off the pitch and saw the score. What a relief. I’m so happy for them! I’ve watched the whole thing back and goddammit what a gorgeous game that was. Wolfsburg had gone through their Champions League campaign unbeaten, against the likes of PSG and Arsenal, and although Barcelona have been going like a machine they’re not unbeatable, which Madrid CFF showed just last week in the final league game, and which we saw earlier in the CL run this season against Bayern München. Prior to this game, these two sides had played each other five times and Wolfsburg had won four of those.
It had the narrative set up beforehand, complete with twists and turns throughout the game and we were taken on A RIDE immediately, as Lucy Bronze (whose presence in the starting eleven came as a bit of a surprise considering that she’s just back from an injury) makes a mistake which Ewa Pajor immediately capitalises on and fires off a rocket of a shot, out of reach for Sandra Paños. Gives me some Amandine Henry-vibes from last years final, with the timing of the goal, the tough act on the defender and the whip from outside the box (although Henry’s goal was just that bit superior). Then Poppy gets to make it 2-0 and it’s hard not to be happy for her!! But also wtf Barca!! Not again!
Cue Alexia Putellas. La Reina was on the bench, which was not weird following the year that she’s had, but you could tell by the look in her eyes that it was painful. After that second goal she was asked to warm up and went down to the corner alongside Geyse, waving her arms to fire up the supporters who responded very loudly, slightly shifting the atmosphere in an otherwise depleted Barcelona corner of the stadium and cheering their team on into halftime. This is why Putellas is the player that she is, and has the status that she has. Because even when she’s not on the pitch, her actions and words can inspire a transformation in the team and the fans/the people around.
La Reina said: “if there’s anyone who can overcome this game, it’s us”
AND THEY MOTHERFUCKIN DID
(she probably said more things but this is what has been reported on)
Putting the game completely on its head, Barcelona comes back firing straight from kick off in he second half, and through some quick grit they have two goals back within five minutes through Patri Guijarro. Salma Paralluelo immediately runs in to the goal to pick up the ball and bring it back to the center circle, but for the second goal there’s a bit more time to celebrate. Aitana Bonmati, who turns her defender away brilliantly to assist the second goal, jumps into Patri’s arms and simply points to her, grinning goofily.
The game continues to be exciting, but Barcelona just keeps on piling on the pressure. In the end, it’s a bit of a scrappy and defensive error that opens the opportunity for Rolfö to hammer in the winning goal, but it does not take away from the fact that this angel of a player is at the right place at the right time to decide the final. Frido was still in Wolfsburg when Barca won their first CL trophy in 2021, and it’s easy to imagine the excitement she must feel at getting to help her team win this final, after last year’s disappointing display. The last Swedes to win a Champions League trophy was Lotta Schelin in 2016 (against a Wolfsburg with Nilla Fischer in the defence), and Caroline Seger in 2017, both with Lyon as the French team set out on their five-year-streak of dominance.
And what a big ‘fuck you’ to the Spanish football federation :) at the end of the day it’s very likely some of these Barcelona players will not go to the World Cup in the summer, and that’s frankly outrageous. Mapi Leon has already declared that as it stands she’s not going to go to Australia and New Zealand to represent Spain, and it seems like MVP Patri is following in her footsteps, according to RAC1 via SHE scores bangers. Much like Ada Hegerberg, who did not play for Norway for five years to protest the poor conditions that the federation was providing, Mapi does not see herself return to the team until changes are implemented. The question remains which other players are going to continue to stand their ground and take her lead, with the likes of Irene Paredes and Jenni Hermoso having returned to the squad.
Sidenote: Jill Roord transfer rumours to Barcelona in the summer are too funny.
A game I did manage to catch was the Coppa Italia Femminile final. It took place at Stadio Arechi in Salerno, outside of Naples and now I don’t know much about the efforts or lack thereof when it came to organising this, but it seems like a weird place to hold a Coppa Italia final, which was evident by the lack of supporters in the stands. Kickoff at 16:30 in the south of Italy on a Sunday? Between two teams from the central parts? To me it almost seems as if they didn’t actuallly want supporters to be able to come …
In the end, there wasn’t a lot missed. It was a slow game with a lot of half-chances, but it felt like they were tired because finishing and defending was quite sloppy and there was no edge to the play. Linda Sembrandt, on her 100th appearance for Juventus, eventually won it with a 93’ minute goal from Barbara Bonansea. Fellow Swedes Amanda Nildén, Evelina Duljan, and Paulina Nyström were all on the bench, with Nyström the only one to make a substitution. For Roma, Swedes Stephanie Öhrström and Beata Kollmats were unused subs.
With those two matches done, it concludes most of the European football calendar. Well except for Sweden that is, which is still going strong. BK Häcken finishes the weekend still at the top of the league, with a late late win against Kristianstad, as returning captain Filippa Curmark scored the only goal of the match in the 95th minute. But the table is still tight at the top, with Piteå and Hammarby also winning their games to make sure they don’t lose touch with the Gothenburg team.
Big game in the NWSL this weekend between OL Reign and Portland Thorns, which visiting Thorns won through goals by Golden Boot-chaser Sophia Smith and Canadian legend Christine Sinclair. Known as the “Cascadia Clash”, this is one of the fiercest rivalries in the women’s game, and Ameé Ruszkai has written an excellent article on the history behind the animosity. Elsewhere, Mimmi Larsson featured in KC Current’s win over North Carolina Courage, and Sofia Jakobsson started for San Diego Wave as they beat Gotham FC.
Women’s football in Italy is unfortunately still very behind. Games don’t sell a lot of tickets and the TV schedule is too packed with other “more important” stuff to accommodate. That’s why they choose those timings + stadiums.