“Magical.” This is how the captain of Barcelona, Alexia Putellas, described that he was playing in front of a crowd of 91,553 fans who broke a record at the Nou Camp. It was the first appearance of the team in front of fans in the emblematic stadium and the occasion did not disappoint. The players made a shocking appearance to crash Real Madrid 5-2 to reach the Champions League semi-finals, but all eyes were on the crowd and whether it could surpass 60,739 and set a new attendance record. women’s club. It went much further, surpassing the 23-year-old record of 90,195 from the 1999 World Cup in the United States, to becoming the largest audience to watch a women’s soccer match. The winner of the Golden Ball Poutelas, who grew up watching the men’s team at the Nou Camp, said that the attendance left her “speechless”. “It was completely magical. When the match was over, the fans just did not want to go home, there was such a relationship between us and them while we were celebrating,” he said. “I saw a lot of girls, guys with that spark in their eyes. It’s amazing to be part of the story.” Putelas was among the goals, as the defending champion came from 2-1 to win 5-2 at night and secure an emphatic victory with 8-3 overall. Also scorer Aitana Bonmati said: “We had a great experience recently, especially when we won the Champions League. But maybe that was more special. “A full Nou Camp and writing history – huge.” The night began with the Barcelona team bus passing by thousands of fans singing and waving flags outside the stadium long before the start. A giant mosaic was formed inside the ground before the start of the match, in which the words “more than empowerment” were written. The club had said that filling the biggest stadium in Europe would “send a clear message to aspiring young girls around the world – you can do it too!” The club said the colors of Barça combined with those of the Catalan flag symbolized a call for gender equality in sport.
“Women’s football is unstoppable”
Nearly 99,354 El Clasico tickets were sold out after a huge commitment campaign by the club, but with a few free tickets, there were questions about how many fans would come. The match started with the stadium just half full, but the fans arrived slowly and in the end it was almost at the limit, with the attendees creating a carnival atmosphere. Barcelona coach Jonatan Giraldez said: “I told my players before the game that it was not enough to just qualify tonight. We had to do a show for our fans – and we did. “What a wonderful day it was! We will remember it all our lives. The fight was magical. It is difficult, however, to explain all the feelings you feel in a night like this.” Despite seeing his team on the wrong side of a Trump, Real Madrid coach Alberto Torrill agreed, calling it “a big spectacle, a celebration of women’s football”. He added: “Two super teams that wanted to compete, to attack and a huge audience. Women’s football is unstoppable, it will grow and grow.” And it was not just those who took part in the match who enjoyed the occasion, as footballers around the world enjoyed watching women play football on the biggest stage. Everton player Tony Dugan, who played for Barcelona, wrote on Twitter: “91,553! Just WOW !!”, while Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Erps said it was “crazy”. Former England and Arsenal defender Alex Scott told DAZN how when he faced Barcelona with the Gunners they played in a different stadium in front of “a few hundred people”. “Playing this game here shows how far the game has come,” he added.
