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Game decider: world footballer Aitana Bonmati (center)
Photo: Albert Gea / REUTERS
The FC Barcelona footballers are heading towards successfully defending their title in the Champions League. The Catalans won the quarter-final second leg against Norwegian club SK Brann 3-1 (1-0) on Thursday evening and confidently moved into the semi-finals after winning 2-1 in the first leg. Barca will face Chelsea FC there in April.
The Spanish world champion and world footballer Aitana Bonmati (24th) took the lead, the Swede Fridolina Rolfö (56th) and Patri Guijarro (88th) followed up. The connection from 18-year-old Tomine Svendheim (70th) was not enough to turn things around for Brann.
There will be a French duel in the second semi-final. Paris St. Germain reached the round of the last four with a 3-0 (1-0) win against BK Häcken from Sweden and will now face Olympique Lyon. Tabitha Chawinga (27th), Korbin Albert (70th) and Marie-Antoinette Katoto (74th) scored the goals for PSG. Paris had already won the first leg against Häcken (2:1).
Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt failed early
The day before, record winners Olympique Lyon and Chelsea FC were the first to reach the semi-finals with their German trio. France's eight-time title winners Lyon reached the semifinals with a 4-1 (1-1) against Benfica Lisbon (first leg: 2-1), and Chelsea eliminated Ajax Amsterdam with a 1-1 (1-0/first leg: 3-0). .
Of the three German aces in Lyon's squad, international Sara Däbritz was in the starting line-up after her winning goal in the first leg, but was substituted at half-time. Former national team captain Dzsenifer Marozsán and Laura Benkarth did not play. In Chelsea's draw, Sjoeke Nüsken only came into the game for the last 24 minutes despite her decisive brace in the first leg, while Melanie Leupolz and substitute goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger remained on the bench.
Champions and Bundesliga leaders Munich and Frankfurt had already failed in the preliminary round. Former title winners VfL Wolfsburg even had to bury their hopes in qualifying. This means that for the first time since the introduction of the Women's Champions League in the 2001/02 season, no Bundesliga club is in the round of the last eight teams.
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