Barcelona thrashes Bayern 7-1 in the UWCL: Pajor and Pina, stars

Barcelona Crushes Bayern Munich in Women’s Champions League Opener

Ewa Pajor and Clàudia Pina shone with braces in Barcelona’s resounding victory over Bayern Munich, marking the start of their campaign in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Barcelona, seeking to regain the title after being defeated in last season’s final, demonstrated their power from the start. Alexia Putellas, the team captain, opened the scoring with a great goal in the fourth minute.

“This kind of nights is what the Champions League demands of you,” Putellas commented. “We learn as much from defeats as from victories.”

Alexia Putellas

Pajor quickly extended the lead with a spectacular finish. Esmee Brugts and Salma Paralluelo also joined the party, leaving the score at 4-1 at halftime, despite Klara Bühl’s goal for Bayern. In the second half, Pajor completed her brace, demonstrating her goal-scoring ability. Pina, top scorer of the previous edition, also joined the celebration with two goals, sealing the victory.

“It was a perfect night,” declared Barcelona coach Pere Romeu, who highlighted the quality of the game as the most gratifying.

Pere Romeu

In another match, Juventus defender Cecilia Salvai celebrated the tenth anniversary of her debut in the Women’s Champions League with two goals in her team’s victory against Benfica. Salvai scored the decisive goal in the final minutes, adding to her goal in the first half, which equalized the score after Lucia Alves’s initial goal.

The women’s tournament adopted a league format, similar to the men’s. The teams that finish in the top four places will advance directly to the quarterfinals. The teams ranked between 5th and 12th place will play a playoff round, while the last six will be eliminated. In another result, OH Leuven of Belgium drew 2-2 against Paris FC, after coming back from a two-goal deficit.