Barcelona have a reputation for blowing their opponents away.
They have scored more goals in the Women’s Champions League this season than any other club, and such attacking brilliance is exactly what we have come to expect of them on both the domestic and European stage. As Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said before the first leg of their semi-final against the visiting Catalans: “They play the best football in Europe.”
Barcelona were not firing on all cylinders at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as things turned out, but they showed they also know how to grind out a result.
This away fixture against English football’s back-to-back double winners was Barcelona’s biggest test of the season so far. They may have not passed it with flying colours but they produced a gutsy performance and held their nerve — a way of winning we haven’t seen too often from them. Barcelona either win emphatically or lose, there is rarely any form of middle ground.
Their resilience is rarely put to the test given their domestic dominance — although their England midfielder Keira Walsh said: “Atletico Madrid, Levante, they go man for man and it’s not easy to play against.” Perhaps so, but the facts are Barcelona have won all 25 league games in Spain’s top flight this season, scoring 105…
