Ewa Pajor has had great performances in… VfL Wolfsburg. She spent 10 years there, winning the German championship and cup many times along the way. What's more, she was the team's leading figure almost every time. No wonder that it resulted not only in a nomination for the Ballon d'Or, but also in a summer transfer to FC Barcelona. And in the Catalan team Shelf she was found very quickly. Six goals, one assist and leading the female scorers – these statistics speak for themselves. The fans hoped that our compatriot would give another show of power on Wednesday evening.
Shock and disbelief in the first half. Manchester dominated Barcelona
That day FC Barcelona started competing in League Champions. She played her first match away and immediately faced a strong rival – Manchester City. Additionally, she had to play in her opponents' territory, but Pajor's friends, as well as the Pole herself, were the favorites to win.
Our compatriot was active from the very beginning. Even though she didn't have much contact with the ball, she put a lot of pressure on her opponents and made it difficult for them to play. She also encouraged her friends to do the same, but they didn't necessarily follow her advice. And it was visible on the pitch.
The hosts had the first, almost 100% opportunity. In the 17th minute, Lauren Hemp received a great cross into the penalty area, and all she had to do was put her foot in it. And she hit the ball, but not only was it too light, but the Barcelona goalkeeper also made a successful intervention. A moment later, Pajor had a chance to equalize. The Manchester goalkeeper went too far from the goal and did not control the ball, which the Pole took advantage of almost immediately. She took it from her opponent with a slide and found herself with the ball in front of an empty goal. She took a shot, but Alexandri Lopez heroically cleared it from the line. And it was one of the visiting team's few chances, because in the following minutes Manchester was gaining more and more ground and getting excited.
In the 23rd minute, Khadija Shaw had a great opportunity, but again Cata Coll made an effective defense. She coped even better with Hemp's cross in the 28th minute. However, in the 36th minute she had to capitulate. Naomi Layzell took advantage of the confusion in the penalty area and scored, giving Manchester the lead.
– City looks like Barcelona usually looks. He tries to take away the greatest advantages of his rivals. And the housewives do this successfully many times. And the guests are suppressed – astonished commentators emphasized. The Catalan players made a lot of mistakes, which their opponents took advantage of. Barcelona's good actions could be counted on the fingers of one hand in the first half. Manchester had a lot of these on their account. Ultimately, the first half ended with a big sensation and the hosts taking the lead.
Barcelona was close, but did not turn the tables. On top of that, she received another blow
After the break, the game finally changed a bit. Barcelona started to press harder. – It is clearly gaining momentum – commentators emphasized. Both Graham and Alexia Putellas had good chances. Moreover, the Catalan team finally started to function well in pressing and forcing the opponents to play nervously. It was effective. Manchester began to lose its way. However, Barcelona was unable to take advantage of such opportunities.
And as the old saying goes: “missed opportunities take revenge.” And it was reflected on the scoreboard. In the 77th minute, Layzell sent a great pass to Shaw, who ran one-on-one with the goalkeeper. She passed her, deceived one of the defenders and put the ball into the empty net. Thus, she increased her lead to 2:0.
Ultimately, no more goals were scored, although Barcelona fought until the very end. In addition, she had the advantage in the last minutes – Layzell was injured and the coach no longer had the opportunity to make a change.
Manchester City – FC Barcelona 2-0
The defending champions suffered a defeat at the beginning of the competition. They are in third place in group D. Manchester's players are higher with three points. The leaders have the same number of points, i.e. the players of Hammarby Fotboll, who won 2-0 against SKN St. Polten. Barcelona will play its next match in the European cups on Wednesday, October 16.