It wasn’t enough. After the 5-1 defeat in the first leg, the mortgage for VfL Wolfsburg was too big. But in the second leg against Barcelona, the Wolves showed a spirited performance.
Despite a courageous race to catch up, the VfL Wolfsburg footballers missed the hoped-for Champions League miracle against FC Barcelona. After the 1: 5 at the Camp Nou, the strong Bundesliga leaders defeated the defending champions in the semi-final second leg 2: 0 (0: 0) and stopped the 45 competitive games winning streak of the top favorites as a conciliatory farewell.
Goals from Waßmuth and Roord are not enough
Goalscorer Tabea Waßmuth (47th) and Dutchman Jill Roord (59th) scored in front of 22,057 fans in the VW Arena, which made for a record home crowd for the VfL women. The eight-year-old record (12,464) was pulverized. The Catalans will now meet Paris St. Germain or Olympique Lyon in the final on May 21 in Turin (9 p.m. / first leg 2: 3).
The two-time title holder Wolfsburg is now turning his attention to the possible double. In the final of the league, VfL is currently in the lead in a duel with Bayern Munich, in the DFB Cup final on May 28, the long-term winner against Turbine Potsdam is the favorite.
Compared to the first leg, Wolfsburg coach Tommy Stroot relied on additional offensive and pressing power from the fast Ewa Pajor. On the other side, Jonatan Giraldez trusted his successful starting eleven from the previous week.
And with the usual amount of ball possession, they felt a lot more resistance than eight days before. The hostesses were more compact and also showed their quality in the transition game. Roords (34th) first good chance but defused Barca keeper Sandra Panos.
On the other side, goalkeeper Almuth Schult again proved to be a strong support against the feared offensive around world footballer Alexia Putellas in front of the eyes of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. In the first leg, Schult saved her team from an even worse debacle with 16 saves.
The second half then began almost perfectly for VfL: After just 112 seconds, Waßmuth scored from a long-range shot from a free kick situation. It was the tenth goal in the tenth Champions League game for the national striker.
After the lead, the home fans cheered their wolves even louder, the otherwise cool Barca ensemble was actually impressed and conceded the second goal: Roord also took heart from a distance and caught goalkeeper Panos on the wrong foot.
In the final phase, a hectic exchange of blows then developed. Wolfsburg sensed his chance, but Barcelona invested more again and also made dangerous deals.
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