The dream of the Champions League final is alive
Despite double red: Bayern women defy Barça
Updated April 25, 2026 – 8:18 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Bayern’s women will face Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The first leg ends much better for Munich than the duel in the league phase.
FC Bayern’s women drew 1-1 (0-1) from FC Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. The Catalans took the lead early (8th minute) as a result of a positioning error by DFB captain Giulia Gwinn through Ewa Pajor. Franziska Kett equalized in the second half (69′). Shortly afterwards, in front of 31,000 spectators in the Allianz Arena, the national player was sent off because she pulled her opponent Salma Paralluelo’s hair (80th). Coach José Barcala also saw red for complaining.
Despite the two suspensions, the starting position before the second leg on Sunday next week (4.30 p.m., in the live ticker on t-online) is balanced. The Munich women should be warned before the trip to Barcelona. When they played in Catalonia at the start of the league phase, they suffered a 7-1 defeat.
When the opposition had the ball, Bayern usually defended close to their own goal and waited for counterattacks. That worked every now and then, especially over Bühl. But while Pernille Harder (7th) missed the first good chance of the game, Barça appeared ice cold: After a positional error by Giulia Gwinn, Pajor was in the right place in the center.
However, there wasn’t much more from Barça in the first half. Instead, in front of Uli Hoeneß and club boss Jan-Christian Dreesen, Bayern became stronger and more confident. Shortly before the break, Kett (42nd) had Munich’s best chance, but was denied by goalkeeper Cata Coll.
Only after the break did Barça become more active again – and things immediately became dangerous. However, Esmee Brugts (49th) only hit the post, and defender Vanessa Gilles (60th) cleared for Bayern just in front of the goal line. On the other side, Kett completed a well-played counterattack. Then Bayern’s best player was sent off – Barcala also saw a red card for complaining. The Bundesliga team still managed the draw over time.
