Barcelona and Bayern Munich traded goals in a fast-moving women’s Champions League semifinal that was still hanging in the balance after Linda Dallmann canceled out Alexia Putellas’s opener. Salma Paralluelo then put Barcelona back ahead at the far post after a cross from Caroline Graham Hansen.
Barcelona opened the scoring when Salma set up Putellas from the left and the finish came after a scramble inside the area. Bayern answered through Dallmann on a counterattack, her cross-shot beating Cata Coll and briefly quieting the home side’s momentum. Barcelona kept pressing for a third goal, with Graham Hansen sending one shot wide and Ewa Pajor earning a yellow-card foul from Georgia Stanway, while Mahmutovic later produced a big save to keep Fridolina Rolfö from scoring. Patricia Guijarro also tried to pick out Salma with a header, but the ball ran out for a goal kick, and Harder headed over the crossbar at the other end.
The match was being watched with an eye on what it could mean beyond the semifinal, because the text at that moment pointed to a possible third final meeting between Barcelona and OL Lyonnes. But first Barcelona had to finish the job against Bayern, and the margin remained small enough that one more mistake could change everything.
This was a live report from the women’s Champions League semifinal between Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
