Key events
10 min: Hendrich is able to continue and there was nothing in the challenge from Paralluelo so we are back underway.
10 min: Hendrich is down injured in Wolfsburg’s box, VAR is in operation today so anything untoward will be found.
9 min: The game has settled now, the early shots from Barca and the opening goal had both teams rattled but both now having more time and patience on the ball. I think this is the worst possible start for Barca as they were stunned by Lyon scoring early in last year’s final, now it has happened again.
7 min: Bronze is trying to make up for her error as she wins Barca a free kick on the edge of the box. Leon rifles it in but it’s headed away for a corner. Leon takes it and it’s initially blocked, it comes to Paralluelo whose shot goes over.
5 min: That goal means a lot, Tommt Stoot had his hands in the air. Bronze stunned. Wow, what a start for the underdogs. Pajor is the leading goalscorer in the competition and she adds to her tally.
GOAL! Barcelona 0-1 Wolfsburg (Pajor, 4′)
Oh my word! I was just writing to say Wolfsburg need to stop Barca but then Pajor does that! Bronze is wrestled off the ball at the back by Pajor and she rams it home. Wow.
2 min: Bonmati takes a shot but it is blocked and Guijarro rallies on in but Frohms saves. A fast start from Barca.
Kick-off! Barcelona 0-0 Wolfsburg
Here we go then! Will the favourites Barcelona come out on top? Or will Wolfsburg cause an upset? We’ll find out soon.
The players walk out to a deafening roar. I think there is an even split between Barca and Wolfsburg, there are expected to be 35,000 fans. Sarina Wiegman delivered the trophy to the pitch.
The crowd are being treated to the opening ceremony here. There are some dancers and flag wavers, pyrotechnics are going and the fans are bang up for this!
The players will be out soon and I’m doing hand exercises as I feel I’m going to have to type quickly to keep up with the action today!
The scene:
If Lucy Bronze lifts the Women’s Champions League trophy today she will become the first Englishwoman to win the tournament with two different clubs. She has already won the tournament three times when she played for Lyon.
A nice fun fact for you:
Have you been reading our weekly women’s football newsletter, Moving the Goalposts? You should sign up! This week Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall has written about what it is like to play Barcelona and Wolfsburg, you can give it a read:
Adam K has emailed and said: “It’s morning here on the east coast of the USA, so my “pre-match meal” is waffles. What snacks do you have on the go today? I’m excited for the game today (thrilled to see Popp fit for a final!), but before that I wanted to issue special shoutouts to Lianne Sanderson’s outfit, and also for Jill Scott’s podcast, Jill Scott’s Coffee Club.” I actually treated myself to a McDonalds (other fast food outlets available) for lunch so no snacks at the moment! Waffles are a great shout, any toppings with them?
This is the last season where all the matches in the Women’s Champions League are free. Dazn are putting the competition behind a paywall next season. “It has seen millions of streams on our Dazn platform, and also on our YouTube channel with 14 million‑plus extra viewers compared to the previous year,” Dazn said. “But now the time is right to convert this visibility into viability and value for the long-term sustainability of the rights. Driving the commercial value upwards is how we can make sure there will be future investment in the sport for the benefit of the game and the players. And it’s also in the interest of the clubs and Uefa as well.” Read the full piece:
The sun is out, the football is on – does it get much better than this? I suspect you’ll be able to smell BBQ’s in the air, are you having one later on? Let me know via Twitter or email.
When Wolfsburg’s Alexandra Popp was asked if Barcelona are the best team in Europe, she replied: “If you see last year, I wouldn’t say they’re better than Lyon! Of course, they are a top team. They are one of the best teams when you watch them. They have developed a lot over the years. In 2014, we played Barca and it was very different. You could see the football but not as consistent as now.”
“You always have to know how to handle the pressure when you start playing for Barça,” Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas said. “You know what it means; you have to aim for perfection. There’s always room for improvement in sport, there’s always pressure. The defeat in Turin last year did affect us, with so many fans travelling there, but it was not to be in the end. I feel like that was our worst performance of the season after playing at such a high level throughout the campaign. We feel like we owe the fans a victory in the final. We will play at 100% and do everything for the team and hope this combination will bear fruit.” Full piece:
The team news is in! Barcelona have made two changes from their semi-final against Chelsea. Lucy Bronze is back after injury which has seen Marta Torrejón dropped, Salma Paralluelo comes in to replace Asisat Oshoala. Alexia Putellas starts from the bench.
Barcelona: Paños; Bronze, Paredes, Mapi León, Rolfö; Bonmati, Walsh, Guoijarro; Graham Hansen, Paralluelo, Caldenty
Wolfsburg, meanwhile, have an unchanged side from their semi-final against Arsenal.
Wolfsburg: Frohms; Wilms, Hendrich, Janssen, Rauch; Oberdorf, Roord; Huth; Jonsdottir, Pajor, Popp.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the 2023 Women’s Champions League final and what a battle we have on our hands today. The 2021 champions Barcelona face two-time winners Wolfsburg with the Spanish giants carrying the favourites tag today.
Barcelona’s semi-final first leg was a breeze with Caroline Graham Hansen delivering them a 1-0 result over Chelsea. But the second leg was more of a battle at Camp Nou with Chelsea grinding out a 1-1 result but Hansen’s boot proved the difference to see them through.
Wolfsburg, meanwhile, were challenged by Arsenal in the semis. The first leg ended 2-2 despite Wolfsburg having the stronger performance and then Pauline Bremer scored a last-minute winner at a sold-out Emirates to seal the German team’s final spot.
The match at the Eindhoven today will be a close encounter with some of the world’s best players involved. Alexandra Popp and Jill Roord will be facing off against Alexia Putellas and Lucy Bronze. Barcelona are keen to avenge their 2022 final defeat to Lyon while Wolfsburg will be looking to win the title for the first time in nine years. The team news will be out shortly so stay tuned ahead of kick-off at 3pm BST.
