(Football news) Two late goals by Barcelona Femenino ensured that the Catalans came from behind to defeat Real Madrid 3-1 to take the advantage in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League. The Spanish champions were stunned when Olga Carmona opened the scoring for Real Madrid Femenino in the 8th minute from Esther Gonzalez's pass but Barcelona equalised through a penalty from Alexia Putellas in the 53rd minute.
With eight minutes left to play, Claudia Pina gave Barcelona the lead while Putellas scored the third goal in the 94th minute to seal the victory. It was the very first time that the El Clasico had taken place in the Women’s Champions League and Real Madrid would be undoubtedly disappointed at the result, especially considering that they had a real chance to win the fixture. The turning point of the match was when the referee awarded a spot kick eight minutes into the second half after a VAR check for a foul by Carmona on Caroline Graham Hansen.
Barcelona equalised through Alexia Putellas and subsequently went on to dominate the game. The Catalans could have extended their advantage but Pina couldn’t find the target and Jennifer Hermoso headed wide. However, Barcelona scored the second goal in the 82nd minute when Pina capitalised on a blocked shot by Aitana Bonmati to find the back of the net while Putellas scored the third goal in the final seconds of the game to take back a healthy advantage ahead of the second leg.
The return fixture will be played at the Camp Nou on March 30th with 70,000 fans expected at the venue for this iconic clash. The winner will face either Wolfsburg or Arsenal (who are the only English side remaining in the competition) for a place in the finals.
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