Aitana Bonmati, fresh off her latest global accolade, played a pivotal role in leading defending champions Barcelona into the quarterfinals of the Women’s Champions League as group winners. The Spanish playmaker scored a crucial goal in Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Manchester City in their Group D finale on Wednesday.
Bonmati’s goal came in the 57th minute when she skillfully maneuvered past the City defense to poke the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs, marking Barcelona’s second goal of the match. This victory mirrored City’s earlier win against Barcelona in October and resulted in both teams finishing group play with 15 points. However, Barcelona topped the group due to a superior goal difference.
The two-time Ballon d’Or winner was honored again on Tuesday as FIFA’s “The Best” women’s player of the year, marking her second consecutive win of this prestigious award.
Arsenal also secured their place in the knockout stage as the fourth group winner and the second from England, defeating Bayern Munich 3-2 with a decisive penalty from Mariona Caldentey in the 86th minute. Other group winners included record eight-time champions Lyon and Chelsea.
Both Manchester City and Bayern Munich had already qualified for the knockout stage as second-place finishers.
Barcelona’s dominance was evident throughout the match, with Clàudia Pina opening the scoring in the 44th minute with a well-placed shot into the corner. Alexia Putellas then added a third goal from outside the box in the 67th minute, solidifying the Spanish champions’ strong performance.
Having won the last two Champions League titles and three of the last four, Barcelona boasts a squad filled with players from Spain’s World Cup-winning team.
In other Group D action, Swedish club Hammarby defeated St. Pölten 2-1 in Vienna, finishing third in the group. Meanwhile, Juventus secured a 3-0 victory over Valerenga, placing third in Group C behind Arsenal and Bayern.
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