Around six months after their crushing 7-1 defeat in the group stages, Bayern Munich, who recently celebrated their 11th consecutive German title, overcame their previous defeat to Barcelona to secure a 1-1 (0-1) draw against the Spanish giants in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal. This occurred even after the dismissal of Franziska Kett, leaving them with a chance to reach their first-ever final ahead of the return leg next Sunday at Camp Nou.
Franziska Kett kept the hopes alive for the home side with her goal in front of 31,000 fans at the Allianz Arena in the 69th minute. However, just ten minutes later, the German international received a straight red card for pulling Salma Paralluelo’s hair. Bayern coach José Barcala also faced the referee’s ire, receiving a red card for his protests, which proved fruitless as a VAR review upheld Kett’s foul.
Earlier in the match, former Wolfsburg player Ewa Pajor (8′) had put Barcelona—who are targeting a sixth consecutive final—into the lead.
“A tricky situation. She definitely didn’t do it on purpose,” explained teammate Klara Bühl on Disney+ regarding the pivotal moment: “She was aiming to pull the shirt and would have been deserving of a yellow card for that, no question. But the hair just got in the way.”
As they geared up for their most significant match of the season thus far, Bayern was driven to leave the embarrassment from October behind them. “You have to believe in it,” stated national team member Bühl, who made her first start in over two months following recovery from a calf injury: “Everyone has to demonstrate that belief.”
Barcelona strikes early
Nonetheless, the respect Bayern had for their opponents was evident. When Barcelona controlled the ball, Bayern took a defensive posture deep in their half, looking to counter when possible. This tactic occasionally yielded results, particularly through Bühl. However, Bayern supporters must have felt apprehensive when Pajor scored with the visitors’ first shot on target in the eighth minute after a missed opportunity by Pernille Harder (7′).
That, however, turned out to be one of the few notable moments for Barcelona in the first half. As confidence built among the Bayern ranks—with Uli Hoeneß and club boss Jan-Christian Dreesen present—the home side began to take more risks. Just before halftime, Kett (42′) came close to equalising but was thwarted by keeper Cata Coll.
Barcelona began the second half with intent and soon threatened to double their lead, with Esmee Brugts (49′) hitting the woodwork and defender Vanessa Gilles (60′) clearing off the line for Bayern.
Kett, however, kept Bayern’s dreams of a final alive when she equalised in the 69th minute following a well-executed team move, with Harder providing the assist.
Despite Kett’s subsequent sending off, Bayern held firm, leaving the tie delicately poised ahead of the return fixture in the Catalan capital on 3 May, where Barcelona will seek to advance to the final for the sixth consecutive time.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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