WOLFSBURG, Germany: Defending champions Barcelona are on track for the final four of the women’s Champions League after a dominant 4-1 win in their quarter-final first leg at Wolfsburg on Wednesday.
Unlike the 2023 Champions League final between the same two opponents, won narrowly 3-2 by Barcelona who came from two goals down, Wednesday’s clash was an uneven affair.
A first-half own-goal by Caitlin Dijkstra, followed up by two strikes in quick succession in the second period by Irene Paredes and Salma Paralluelo put the visitors firmly in control.
Janina Minge pulled one back inside the final 15 minutes for Wolfsburg, before Sydney Schertenleib added a late fourth.
Winners of three of the past four Champions Leagues, Barcelona showed fluency in attack and pinned the Wolves back early.
Barcelona’s dominance of the ball finally showed on the scoreboard after 26 minutes when Ewa Pajor, who spent almost a decade at the German club, pressured Dijkstra into conceding an own goal from Aitana Bonmati’s cross.
The visitors were unable to make their dominance count further with just a one-goal lead heading into half-time.
But Barcelona quickly took control of the match, and the tie, with two goals in three minutes just after the interval.
Paredes tapped in from close range after Wolfsburg failed to deal with a Barcelona corner on 50 minutes.
On the 53rd-minute mark, Paralluelo scored on a Barcelona counter, her shot scuffed into her own net by Wolfsburg’s Minge.
Paralluelo looked to have scored again just five minutes later, but was half-a-meter offside when assisted by Pajor.
Minge gave Wolfsburg hope when she headed in unmarked from just near the penalty spot with 79 minutes gone, but Swiss teenager Schertenleib’s fine curling finish with two minutes remaining put Barcelona firmly in control of the tie.
The scope of the loss leaves Wolfsburg needing a mountain to climb next week in Barcelona if they are to move past the Catalans and try and add to their total of two Champions League titles.
Later, Manchester City host English champions Chelsea in Wednesday’s other quarter-final.
Barca on track for women’s Champions League semis after thumping Wolfsburg
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Barca on track for women’s Champions League semis after thumping Wolfsburg
- Janina Minge pulled one back inside the final 15 minutes for Wolfsburg, before Sydney Schertenleib added a late fourth
- Winners of three of the past four Champions Leagues, Barcelona showed fluency in attack and pinned the Wolves back early
CUPRA KIRO drivers excited for Formula E double-header in Jeddah
- Pepe Marti ready to build on strong finish in Miami
- Dan Ticktum hoping for a change of fortunes in Saudi Arabia
JEDDAH: Drivers from the CUPRA KIRO team said they are looking forward to getting out on the Jeddah track this weekend for the FIA Formula E World Championship.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the venue for the first double-header of the 2025/26 season, with Rounds 4 and 5 taking place on Friday and Saturday.
Spain’s Pepe Marti, who finished ninth in the last round in Miami, is hoping to carry his momentum to Saudi Arabia.
“I’m very excited to race in Jeddah this weekend,” he said. “I’ve raced here in the past with Formula 2 and finished on the podium, so it’ll be good to be in a familiar environment for the first time this season.
“Obviously, the track layout is completely different, but we’re arriving here after consecutive points finishes in Mexico City and Miami so hopefully, we can maintain this streak and hopefully, aim for something that’s higher than seventh – our best result so far this season.”
Teammate Dan Ticktum is expecting his luck to improve after failing to finish a race this season.
“Jeddah is one of the best circuits on the calendar, and I’m looking forward to driving the track this weekend,” the British driver said. “We showed some good pace in Jeddah last season, and we have two races with it being a double-header. Hopefully we can score some points, finally.”
Russell O’Hagan, CUPRA KIRO team principal, said:
“We’re arriving in Jeddah after a short turnaround from Miami, but everyone in the team has worked exceptionally hard to put us in the best possible position. We were quite competitive here in 2025, and although not everything has aligned yet this season, we’re in a much stronger position now compared to where we were 12 months ago.”
Jeddah is the new home of Formula E in Saudi Arabia after six successful seasons racing in Diriyah.
