Barcelona thrash Real Madrid 6-0 to reach Champions League semi-finals
Barcelona have advanced to the Women’s Champions League semi-finals after a resounding 6-0 victory over Real Madrid on Thursday secured a 12-2 aggregate triumph.
Alexia Putellas opened the scoring on her 500th appearance for the Catalan club in front of a record-breaking 60,067 crowd at the newly reopened Spotify Camp Nou.
Caroline Graham Hansen added a brace, while Irene Paredes, Ewa Pajor and Esmee Brugts also found the net to cap off a miserable week for their fierce domestic rivals.
The Blaugrana will now face German champions Bayern Munich in the last four of Europe’s premier club competition.
A week of humiliation for Madrid
The heavy defeat marks the conclusion of a punishing eight-day period for Pau Quesada’s side, who have faced their arch-rivals three times in rapid succession.
A bruising 6-2 home loss in the first leg was immediately followed by a 3-0 league defeat at the weekend, leaving the capital club reeling.
This latest continental collapse means the head-to-head aggregate score between the two Spanish giants stands at a staggering 25-2 in Barcelona’s favour over six encounters this season.
Real Madrid had previously shown signs of closing the competitive gap after securing their first-ever victory in this fixture last March.
However, the reigning domestic champions have ruthlessly reasserted their authority both at home and in Europe since that shock setback.
Record-chasing Putellas leads by example
At the heart of this sustained period of success has been the two-time Ballon d’Or winner, who continues to rewrite the history books.
Her latest strike was her 230th goal in Barcelona colours, leaving her just two shy of legendary forward César Rodríguez on the all-time scoring charts.
Only Argentine icon Lionel Messi, with an astonishing 672 goals, has found the net more times for either the men’s or women’s teams.
The Spanish midfielder’s landmark goal also made her the first woman to score at the revamped stadium, mirroring her historic achievement at the old ground in 2021.
“Our intention was to go out as if the tie was level,” Putellas explained following the commanding victory.
