Barca trash Real in front of a record women's crowd
Key takeaways:
- Barcelona will meet Arsenal or Wolfsburg in the semi-finals.
- Barcelona had a spectacular Clasico show to thrash Real Madrid and reach the Champions League semi-finals. A vibrant Nou Camp set the record attendance for a women's football game.
The hosts grabbed a 3-1 lead into the second leg and then came from 2-1 down to succeed 5-2 on the evening for a decisive 8-3 aggregate win.
Some 91,553 fans were inside the field to see the resounding victory, smashing the attendance record set during the World Cup final between the United States and China in 1999.
Barcelona looked to have killed off the deadlock when Maria Pilar Leon's cross curled in after eight minutes, but Real struck back directly and endangered an upset.
After the break, Olga Carmona converted from the penalty area following a handball by Irene Paredes, and Claudia Zornoza's stunning shot set them ahead.
But goals in rapid succession from Aitana Bonmati and Claudia Pina placed Barcelona back in control before Alexia Putellas, and Caroline Graham Hansen added shine to the win over their Spanish opponents.
The defending champions will now meet Arsenal or Wolfsburg in the final four.
El Clasico lives up to record the event
Barcelona typically plays at the Johan Cruyff Stadium at the club's activity base, where they boast the best moderate attendance in the Spanish top flight of 2,938.
This was not their first arrival at the Nou Camp, but the club dealt out Europe's biggest arena as all 99,354 tickets were burst up.
The official attendance registered was 91,553, surpassing the previous record of 90,195 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena 23 years ago - and far outnumbering the record for a women's club match of 60,739 fans at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano in 2019.