After the debacle in front of the world record crowd of 91,648 spectators, coach Tommy Stroot didn’t want to see his Wolfsburg players disappear into the dressing room so quickly.
The 33-year-old urged his players to “soak up the atmosphere at Camp Nou anyway. Because it’s an experience that will accompany us throughout our lives. It will always be a moment to remember.” VfL will not soon forget the result of a memorable Champions League evening at FC Barcelona.
After the 1: 5 (0: 4) in the semi-final first leg, the Bundesliga leaders are on the verge of being eliminated. Against the impressive backdrop of the iconic stadium, the superb Spanish champions taught the visitors a bitter lesson. “I think it’s clear ahead of next week’s game that Barça can plan the journey for the final. However, the task for us is to show a completely, completely different face there,” Stroot said, looking ahead to the second leg April, 30th. They will do everything they can to win the game: “But we want to be realistic: beating this Barça 5-1 or 6-1 may not be entirely realistic.”
“This Barcelona is a spectacle”
“5: 1: Huge distance and ticket for the final”, headlined the portal “Mundo Deportivo” after a demonstration of the strength of the Spanish champions. “This Barcelona is a spectacle,” wrote “Marca” after goals from Aitana Bonmati (3rd minute), Caroline Hansen (10th), Jennifer Hermoso (33rd) and world footballer Alexia Putellas (38th/84th, penalty kick) . Jill Roord scored the only goal for VfL on her 25th birthday (70th).
National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg should also have looked closely: In the preliminary round at the European Championships in England in July, the German selection will face Spain, among others, with many aces from Barcelona.
Most recently, 91,553 fans came to Barcelona – Real Madrid in the premier class, the number was slightly exceeded this time. “I don’t think it was Barcelona’s last record, but maybe even higher numbers are possible here in the future,” Stroot said. “And that’s just a phenomenal story for women’s football as a whole.”
With big eyes and a smile on their lips, the women of Wolfsburg listened to the women’s premier class anthem in front of the historical backdrop before the kick-off. The dream of a treble for the VfL women, who are on course for the title in the Bundesliga and are in the DFB Cup final, has all but burst.