Barcelona continued their perfect start to the Champions League group stages with a hard fought 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich at Camp Nou on Thursday evening.
The hosts turned in a flowing team performance, but were made to work for their win after being held in the first 45 by a robust Bayern side.
Second half goals from Geyse, Aitana Bonmati and Claudia Pina eventually broke Bayern’s resolve to leave Barcelona in prime position to qualify for the knockout stages.
Barcelona burst out of the blocks, with a last ditch Georgia Stanway tackle and fine Maria Grohs save needed to keep out Bonmati and then Geyse inside the opening exchanges.
Barca have made a habit of completely blowing teams away in this season’s competition, hitting 13 goals across their opening two group stage fixtures, and it appeared if they got one, the floodgates would open. Despite their early pressure, they were largely left frustrated in the first half by a defensively disciplined Bayern.
Bonmati fired a whisker over from the edge of the box and drew a terrific one-handed save from Grohs as the opening 45 finished goalless.
Having done so well to keep Barca at bay in the first half, Bayern conceded just two minutes after the break. Fridolina Rolfo provided the cross, and Ana-Maria Crnogorčević intelligently nodded the ball across goal for Geyse to head home.
Rolfo was again instrumental as the hosts doubled their advantage 12 minutes later, picking out Bonmati with a cut back, and the Barcelona midfielder effortlessly found the bottom corner with a first time, pinpoint finish.
Pina added a sumptuous third just after the hour mark, rocketing an effort into the top corner from the edge of the area as Barcelona eventually cruised to a deserved victory.
GK: Sandra Panos – 6/10 – Didn’t have a great deal to do as Barcelona largely dominated.
RB: Lucy Bronze (83′ for Torrejon)- 7/10 – Didn’t put a foot wrong defensively and drove Barca forward with her directness.
CB: Mapi Leon – 6/10 – Corner deliveries were initially a little disappointing, but turned in a solid performance and allowed Barca to build well from the back.
CB: Irene Paredes – 6/10 – Didn’t have a huge amount to do defensively. Efficient in possession.
LB: Fridolina Rolfö – 9/10 – Provided the crucial deliveries for Barcelona’s first and second goals with a cross and smart cut back. The left flank was a constant threat for Barca.
CM: Keira Walsh (77′ for Engen) – 8/10 – Born to play for Barcelona. Ruthlessly efficient in…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at 90min EN…