World record crowd sees Barça brush aside Wolfsburg in WCL at Camp Nou
The Camp Nou broke its own attendance world record for a women’s football match on Friday when 91,648 fans revelled in Barcelona’s 5-1 rout of Wolfsburg in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semifinal.
The crowd surpassed the 91,553 who turned out to see Barcelona beat Real Madrid last month. Previously, the record for a women’s game was 90,185 for the 1999 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and China at the Rose Bowl.
Alexia Putellas shone for Barcelona with a goal in each half. The Ballon d’Or winner was one of four goalscorers for Barcelona in the first half before she earned and converted a late penalty to give her a competition-leading 10 goals.
“We are very happy not just for the result but also for the atmosphere at the stadium. It is spectacular that we have set a new record,” Barcelona midfielder Patricia Guijarro said. “What happened today and a month ago has left us speechless. As the days or the years go by, we will understand better what has happened. Right now we have not completely grasped the magnitude of this experience.”
Wolfsburg were stunned from the start when Aitana Bonmatí latched onto a long pass and scored two minutes after kick-off.
Caroline Graham Hansen doubled the advantage when she used a sleek change of foot to dodge a tackle before curling a left-footed shot inside the far post.
Jennifer Hermoso made it 3-0 in the 33rd minute after finishing off a fine team move before Putellas latched onto a pass from Guijaro to beat goalkeeper Almuth Schult.
Jill Roord pulled one back for Wolfsburg but Putellas completed the rout when she converted from the spot after being fouled by Dominique Janssen.
The second leg is in Germany on 30 April. Lyon hosts Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday in the first leg of the other semi-final. Barcelona are seeking to repeat their treble from last season. They have already clinched the Spanish league and are in the Copa de la Reina semi-finals.