Beaten in the final last season, Barça begin UWCL with a bang

BARCELONA, Spain -- What was expected to beryllium a heavyweight contention betwixt the champions of Spain and Germany astatine the Estadi Johan Cruyff connected Tuesday rapidly descended into a battering arsenic Barcelona thumped Bayern Munich 7-1 to laic down an aboriginal marker successful the UEFA Women's Champions League.

It took conscionable 4 minutes for Alexia Putellas to people a superb opener, and it was mostly downhill from determination for Bayern. Ewa Pajor and Clàudia Pina helped themselves to braces, with Esmee Brugts and Salma Paralluelo besides connected people arsenic Barça began to marque amends for past season's last decision to Arsenal.

Bayern did concisely look to marque a crippled of it successful the archetypal half. Klara Bühl got them backmost into the lucifer astatine 3-1. Lea Schüller besides had a extremity ruled retired aft the interruption which would person made it 4-2, but wide this was a nighttime to hide for the German giants. The scoreline did not flatter Barça.

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"The disappointing portion is we were not amazed today," Bayern manager José Barcala told ESPN. "Barça are a comparatively casual squad to analyse; they person precise circumstantial patterns they repetition each the time. But they exposed america to a tempo and a velocity we were not capable to header with."

The triumph borderline whitethorn travel arsenic a flimsy astonishment to the remainder of Europe, though. Barça came into the crippled arsenic favourites, but fewer would person expected them to rack up truthful galore goals against past season's quarterfinalists, who are unbeaten domestically astatine the commencement of the caller campaign. Arsenal's astonishment 1-0 triumph implicit Barça successful Lisbon was expected to service arsenic information to the remainder of the chasing battalion arsenic good -- alternatively it seems to person added occurrence to Barça bellies.

Defender Irene Paredes spoke earlier the lucifer astir being incapable to hide that damaging nonaccomplishment -- which denied three-time winners Barça a three-peat successful their 5th successive last quality -- but harnessing that disappointment to guarantee it did not hap again this season.

The hosts started powerfully against Bayern. They could person led wrong 2 minutes. Aitana Bonmatí someway wiggled distant from the grasp of Georgia Stanway and her transverse looked destined to beryllium turned successful by Paralluelo lone for Read Entire Article