MADRID (AP) — Barcelona moved closer to a record-extending eighth straight semifinal in the Women’s Champions League with a 6-2 rout of Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday, while Manchester United made its last-eight debut with a 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.
Ewa Pajor scored twice, and Esmee Brugts, Irene Paredes, Vicky López and Alexia Putellas added a goal each in Madrid to take the Catalan club a step closer
to the last four.
Linda Caicedo scored a goal in each half for Madrid, which will need a big comeback in Barcelona next week to make it to its first semifinal.
Barcelona, a three-time champion, has reached the final in five straight seasons. It lost last year's final to Arsenal, which on Tuesday defeated English rival Chelsea 3-1 in their first leg of their quarterfinal.
Also Tuesday, Wolfsburg took a 1-0 lead over record eight-time champion Lyonnes in a meeting of two of the competition’s most storied names.
Barcelona topped the league phase with an unbeaten campaign that included 20 goals scored and three against. Madrid, in its second consecutive quarterfinal, was eliminated by Arsenal in the last eight last season. If finished seventh in the league phase.
“We came here to play a good match and win, and we’ve done just that," Paredes said. "It’s a good result. We’ll prepare just as thoroughly for the second leg because we want to perform just as well. The coaching staff prepared very well and we executed it very well. When things go your way so early on, it helps. We have to be happy. We’re a team that wants to win everything, always.”
Barcelona was leading 2-0 at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium with goals by Pajor and Brugts before Caicedo pulled the hosts closer in the 30th.
Paredes, Pajor and López scored for Barcelona again for a 5-1 advantage before Caicedo’s second goal in the 66th. Putellas then converted an 89th-minute penalty kick.
“Everything went wrong today," Madrid coach Pau Quesada said. "The team fell apart after the first goal. We then found ourselves 2-1 down and it looked like we were making a comeback, but the next goal from a set piece finished us off. The gap to Barça is what it is. They’ve got that extra gear and we have to match it. On the day you don’t, this is what happens to you.”
Man United's first quarterfinal appearance started with Bayern taking the lead with a goal by Pernille Harder two minutes into the match.
United equalized with a penalty kick converted by Maya Le Tissier in the 24th. Harder struck again in the 71st for her seventh goal in Bayern's European campaign this season.
The hosts evened the match again with Hanna Lundkvist in the 76th and Momoko Tanikawa put Bayern back ahead in the 84th.
United is in its first European experience since a defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in qualifying in the 2023-24 season. Bayern recovered from a 7-1 loss at Barcelona at the start of the league phase to finish fourth and qualify for the quarterfinals for the eighth time in 10 seasons.
Bayern is trying to reach its first semifinal since 2020-21.
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