IFFHS CONTINENTAL NEWS - UEFA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL 2023
UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL 2023
Two European giants in European Women’s football, Barcelona (4th final in the last 5 years) and Wolfsburg (6th final in the last 10 years), played today the UEFA Women’s Champions League final . FC Barcelona, winner of the IFFHS CLUB WORLD RANKING 2021 and 2022, leader of the IFFHS CLUB WORLD RANKING 2023, won the final (3-2 after losing 0-2 at half time) and his second UEFA Women’s Champions League title !
STATISTICS
· 40 - the number of goals Barcelona have scored
Nigerian Goal scorer Asisat Oshoala (she didn’t play the final) and her Barcelona team are the premium entertainers in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The Spanish giants have scored 40 goals this season in 11 matches in the Champions League.
· 14 - Number of goals scored in this fixture
When Barcelona and Wolfsburg take to the Philips Stadion this weekend in Eindhoven, it will be for the fourth time in their history. Wolfsburg won in 2020 and 2022 the second leg. Barcelona won in 2022 the first leg and again in 2023 the final.
· 91, 648 - The number of fans in Barcelona
Barcelona matches have broken records this season and in the past in the Champions League.
One of those matches was against their opponents today, Wolfsburg, during their last meeting. Both teams met at Camp Nou in the Champions League semi-final first leg 2022, with a record crowd of 91, 648 in attendance.
Today they were more than 34000 spectators in Eindhoven (Netherlands) for the final.
6 - The number of finals Wolfsburg have played in
Since making their debut in the final 10 years ago, Wolfsburg played 6 finals, winning two (2013, 2014) and losing the 4 last (2016, 2018, 2020, 2023) .
2 – two titles and two runners-up
FC Barcelona lost two finals against Olympique Lyon (2019 and 2022) and won two titles (2021 and 2023).
THE PLAYERS
OBERDORF
Lena Oberdorf was again Wolfsburg’s best player. The young midfielder made a fantastic pressing with her teammates during the game, winning many balls and creating many counter attacks.
PAJOR
Ewa Pajor is the European competition’s best goal scorer with nine goals. She scored the first goal in the final for Wolfsburg and assists the second for Alex Popp.
PUTELLAS
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas is back from her ACL injury, but the Barcelona midfielder did’nt start a game since her return. She came off the bench in the last minutes of the final to be present on the pitch for the second Champions League title !
ROLFO (picture)
Fridolina Rölfo scored the third goal for Barcelona and the WINNING Goal ! She played already in Wolfsburg and took this year in Barcelona a new dimension : the swedish player is World Class ! She was the Player of the Final !
GUIJARRO
Patri Guijarro scored twice in two minutes for Barcelona to allow her team to come back from 0-2 to 2-2 ! Best player of the U20 World Cup 2018, she is one of the captains of FC Barcelona with Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati, Sandra Panos, the Barcelona spirit.
SELL OUT
Stadium has sold out, though capacity is 34,100. It should set a Dutch record for a women’s game which stands at 30,640 in the same venue in 2019 when the national team hosted Australia.
A good sign for the health of women’s club soccer is that both teams have picked up an allocation of more than 4,500 for their own supporters. That’s “far more than ever before,” said Nadine Kessler, the UEFA managing director of women’s soccer.