Hammarby lost their women’s Champions League home match to Barcelona. About 19,000 spectators watched the match on the spot. Barcelona’s Salma Paralluelo finally played.
12.12. 23:56•Updated 0:12
Hammarby, the “Finnish club” of the Swedish women’s premier league, played late on Thursday night in the soccer Champions League against Barcelona. The giant of the sport took the expected away victory. The decision numbers in Stockholm were recorded as 0–3 (0–2).
However, in light of the readings, the match was much more even than the meeting played in Barcelona in October, which ended in favor of the big club 9–0.
Both of the players of the Finnish national team were in Hammarby’s starting line-up: they saved on goal Anna Tamminen and led the defense line Eva Nyström. Tamminen made several saves, while Nyström stopped the star player advancing to an open position in the second period by Caroline Graham Hansen.
The Finns played in front of a huge audience, as 18,746 spectators watched the match on the spot.
The Swedish women’s club team attendance record, 20,428, was set by Hammarby in a Champions League match against Manchester City in November. The capacity of the arena varies between 30,000 and 33,000 for football matches.
The supporters had prepared for the match a very spectacular typhoonwhich honored the club legend Ellen Gibson. Gibson, who has represented Hammarby since the juniors, did not get an extension contract with the club. Södermalm laisiko has been left with little playing time in the team.
The match was his last in front of the home crowd. At the end of it, we saw a touching moment when Gibson was replaced on the field and he received the captain’s armband. The crowd gave Gibson a standing ovation.
Superstar Paralluelo finally played
Hammarby no longer had a stake in the match regarding the next place. Barcelona, which is second in the group, is three points away from the group leader Manchester City.
Hammarby is third in the group. In the final game, it will face the Austrian St. Pölten, which the Swedish club won in the opening match.
Barcelona’s hero in Thursday’s match was the Polish striker who already scored two goals in the opening period Ewa Pajor. The final numbers in the second episode were completed by the newly elected world’s best player Fence Bonmati.
Spanish striker Salma Parallel life came on as a substitute for the last minutes of the game. The superstar has not played a minute since the Paris Olympics due to injuries.
Paralluelo, 21, is especially remembered for the important goals of the summer 2023 World Cup, with which world champion Spain advanced from the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
Edited at 00:01: Updated how Manchester City’s win at St. Pölten affected the situation in the group.