Two-nil down at half-time, 3-2 up by full-time. On paper, Barcelona’s comeback win over Wolfsburg in the Women’s Champions League final should prompt the usual cliches. It was a game of two halves. Whatever Barcelona coach Jonatan Giraldez said in the dressing room at the break certainly worked.
But the underlying numbers from yesterday tell a very different story. In expected goals (xG) terms, this was indeed a game of two halves… that were, actually, very similar.
Opta’s data shows Barcelona winning the first half xG battle 2.6 to 0.4, and winning the second half’s 2.0 to 0.3. The question wasn’t really about what Barcelona did differently after half-time, but what they kept on doing.
Those numbers pass the eye test: Barcelona probably played their best possession football in the first half, albeit having been stunned in the third minute by Ewa Pajor’s long-range opener after a high press on Lucy Bronze, then Alexandra Popp’s headed second to round off a quick break seven minutes before the interval.
And Wolfsburg’s approach without the ball caused problems — the German side used an aggressive block when possible, and effectively man-marked in midfield, their trio matching Barcelona’s.
This prevented Barcelona from working the ball through midfield as…
