The chronicle of the Roma-Barça women’s Champions League: Salma and Sandra give a tight victory

0-1 and thanks. Barça dominated and played better, but ended up suffering in the final minutes, clinging to the gloves of Sandra Paños, who avoided the tie in added time. An unforgivable mistake in concentration in a lateral free kick allowed Valentina Giacinti to stand alone in front of the Barça small area, where the monumental figure of Sandra emerged to save a team that became entangled in its lack of efficiency. Salma Paralluelo’s goal, precious and decisive, was enough to win a game that was complicated at the end in what is a warning for the return next Wednesday at the Camp Nou.

The goal was beautiful. And not because of the left-footed shot, precise, adjusted, with a delicious curve that was moving away from Camelia Ceasar, the Roma goalkeeper. That trace of the shot of Salma Paralluelo was left floating in the air of the Italian night before almost 40,000 people who enjoyed the honor of attending a Champions League match at the Olympic Stadium in the capital, transformed into the duel with the most attendance in women’s football in Italy.

The shot was certainly beautiful and was as important as the previous control of the Barça player. A control that allowed him to smoothly cushion the pass of patri pebble while he scanned the landscape and arched his body as he prepared for that left-footed blow that tore through the Roman sky. A goal from Salma that he was, therefore, at the height of that wonderful control that allowed him to create a space on the edge of the area between the dense Italian defense. There, in theory, she should not be.

Debut in a Champions League final phase with the @FCBfemeni✅
Scoring a real goal at the Olympic Games in Rome ✅

could not be other than @SalmaParalluelo 🤩 Tip: WRITE YOUR NAME WELL 📝#DAZNUWCL pic.twitter.com/UauAvCfbQ0

— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) March 21, 2023

He appeared in the Barca eleven located on the left flank of the attack. But at that moment in the game, after the initial half hour of absolute dominance by Barça, Salma decided to leave the lime to stand behind oshoala, the ‘nine’, and found the perfect setting in which he displayed his football creativity. She is 19 years old, but she produces so much that she looks like a veteran.

With the ball, but without effectiveness

And it was not easy to break the defense of Roma, although the Catalans acted with patience. With a lot of patience. From less to more, ruling the match from start to finish. At times, even with overwhelming possession figures, bordering on 90%, leaving the Italians barely getting past midfield.

This team 🤍🙌 pic.twitter.com/riFBQeTsdk

— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) March 21, 2023

The conductions of Aitana Bonmati throughout the attack front, the dry dribble fused with the run, stop and accelerate of Hansen on the right flank, the courage of Lucy Bronze… The Barcelona catalog was extensive and, above all, varied.

Up to 14 shots were signed by Barça in the first 45 minutes, although only four on goal. None as beautiful and decisive as that left-footed shot that Salma invented to tear Roma apart, a sterile team because they didn’t even set foot in the penalty area. Sandra Cloths. After the first part, the heat maps of the Italians were in their own half because they didn’t even kick on goal.

But that tranquility was altered in the second half with an excellent staging of oshoalawho signed four shots, including two headers, one stopped feline by Ceasar, the Roma goal, and another, already on the goal line, dodged by Linari.

The job of Mapi León

It seemed a matter of time before Barça’s second goal would arrive, a goal that did not arrive because, meanwhile, the Italians appeared with such danger at the house of Paños, that only the wise defensive profession of Mapi León avoided the tie in a great Giacinti occasion. The only one. Or so it seemed because the first shot on goal by the Italians, with an easy save by the Barça goal, came in the 70th minute, a prologue to an uncontrolled phase of the match.

Barça was not interested in entering that scenario where they saw more Sandra Cloths in three minutes than in the previous 70. Bad time to lose control because Roma felt comfortable in fast transitions – the ball didn’t even go through the center of the field – which tore the Barca game structure apart.

The night took on a delicate air because Giráldez’s changes did not give Barça stability and, furthermore, Roma felt energetic enough to scare a doubtful Sandra Paños, who made a bad decision in an outing, which almost cost her the goal. tie. But the shot of andressa alvesthe ex-Azulgrana, brushed the side net from the outside, no matter how many thousands of Italians and Italians sang a goal.

Is it a plane or is it @sandra_panos1? 🤩

TREMENDOUS STOP from the goalkeeper of the @FCBfemeni 🧤#DAZNUWCL pic.twitter.com/5XVTEP7OdZ

— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) March 21, 2023

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Then, Paños, with a superb dove, redeemed himself for that mistake by shaking off the ball after a furious and distant shot (almost 30 meters) from Manuela Giugliano. And Barça, who had dominated with solvency, left with a tight 0-1 and suffering more than they could imagine, thanking Sandra for intimidating Giacinti’s poisonous final shot with her presence.

Statistics are worthless. 33 shots for Barça, 11 on target; 10 from Roma and 4 between the three sticks. The four arrested by Sandra.