Roared on by a world record crowd of 91,533 fans at the Nou Camp, Barcelona secured their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League with a 5-2 win against their fierce rivals Real Madrid to progress 8-3 on aggregate.
Although the women’s side had played in the club’s famous arena before, it had a vastly different feel this time.
They were greeted by silence last time out as they thrashed Espanyol 5-0 last January, with the height of Covid restrictions meaning no one was there to watch.
Fast-forward 14 months and the players were greeted by a stunning visual display around the stadium, with a mosaic of supporter-held placards reading “More Than Empowerment” to deliver a strong message on gender equality.
The colors providing the vibrant backdrop were the yellows and reds associated with the Catalan flag, but the decision was made to put the wording in English in hope of a wider audience taking notice in the European competition.
With a 3-1 lead from the first leg, and backed by the vociferous home support, Barcelona was determined to put the tie to bed quickly and were soon further ahead when María Pilar León looped a shot into the net within ten minutes.
However, Madrid gave them hope by pulling a goal back just five minutes later with Olga Carmona converting from the penalty spot after her initial shot had been blocked by the hand of Irene Paredes.
Just after halftime, an astonishing Madrid comeback became even more possible when Claudia Zornoza scored from nearly 40 years out, lobbing Sandra Panos, who was off her line.
That goal put the visitors ahead on the night, but they still trailed by one goal on aggregate.
As Madrid started to dream of pulling off an incredible turnaround, Barcelona responded like champions tend to do, scoring two goals in two minutes, with Aitana Bonmati and Claudia Pina striking to put them 6-3 up in the tie.
Any hope of Madrid once again clawing themselves back into the match was over when Ballon d’Or holder Alexia Putellas decided to join in on the act, with the Barcelona captain scoring her team’s fourth goal on the night.
In true El Clásico fashion, Barcelona was keen to inflict as much pain on their rivals as possible, and Caroline Graham Hansen added to Madrid’s grief by smashing home another with twenty minutes still to play.
No more goals came, but a huge party atmosphere ensued with those in attendance knowing they had witnessed a historic occasion.