Barcelona Overcome Bayern in Thrilling Six-Goal Encounter to Reach Women's Champions League Final
The Spanish powerhouse, appearing in their sixth consecutive final, will meet the record eight-time champions Lyon, who defeated the defending champions Arsenal on Saturday in the opposite semi-final.
Salma Paralluelo and Ewa Pajor also found the net for Barcelona, who managed to withstand a fierce Bayern assault towards the end.
Pere Romeus team, on a run of 31 games without defeat, swiftly dominated proceedings in front of 60000 supporters at the Camp Nou.
Paralluelo missed a close-range effort following some hesitant defending, shortly before she put the three-time champions Barcelona in front.
Caroline Graham Hansen delivered a precise cross to the far post, allowing the Spanish forward to arrive and power the ball into the net in the 13th minute.
Bayern hit back promptly, equalising on a counter-attack just five minutes later as Barcelonas defence struggled. Pernille Harder assisted Linda Dallmann, who finished past Cata Coll.
Barcelona regained the advantage soon after, courtesy of the two-time Ballon dOr recipient Alexia Putellas.
The experienced midfielder, having earlier clipped a shot onto the crossbar, calmly slotted the ball home after Bayern failed to deal with a cross from Paralluelo.
Barcelona kept generating opportunities. The Bayern keeper Ena Mahmutovic produced a sharp save to thwart Paralluelo when the ball dropped to her inside the box.
Paralluelo, shining despite a patchy season, almost set up another chance with a cross to Graham Hansen, mirroring the opening goal, but the Norwegians header sailed over the bar.
Pajor scored Barcelonas third goal shortly into the second period, heading in from Parallueloss delivery from the left flank, marking her ninth strike in the tournament and tying her as the leading scorer.
Putellas added the fourth from near range after a free-kick was headed towards her, prompting joyful supporters to launch a Mexican wave.
Bonmatis return
Barcelona fans cheered the comeback of key midfielder Aitana Bonmati, who stepped onto the field as a substitute for the first time since suffering a leg fracture in December.
Last seasons runners-up, Barcelona will rely on the skilled player when facing their ex-manager Jonatan Giraldeszs Lyon in the Oslo decider on May 23rd.
This marks their fourth showdown with Lyon in a final since 2019, where the French team triumphed in the initial pair before Giraldeszs Barcelona overcame them in the 2024 Bilbao showpiece.
Harder reduced the deficit for Bayern when Barcelona attempted to build from the back, creating tension for the home team in the closing stages.
The German outfit pressed hard, though Bonmati missed a promising opportunity on the break.
Coll made an excellent stop to push Arianna Carusos shot onto the bar, as Barcelona struggled to contain Jose Barcalas Bayern.
Harder netted in added time, but the effort was ruled out following a VAR check due to a foul by Patri Guijarro, leaving Bayern frustrated.
The Bundesliga side suffered their first loss in 29 outings and missed out on the final for the first time ever, marking their third semi-final elimination.