Fresh from winning another international accolade, Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmati contributed significantly to Barcelona’s success by scoring a pivotal goal that propelled the defending champions into the quarterfinals of the Women’s Champions League as the group winners.
In a decisive match against Manchester City on Wednesday, Bonmati showcased her skills by skillfully maneuvering past defenders to slip the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs, marking Barcelona’s second goal in a commanding 3-0 triumph.
This result mirrored City’s earlier victory over Barcelona in Manchester back in October; both teams finished the group stages with 15 points each. However, due to a superior goal difference, Barcelona claimed the top spot in Group D.
Bonmati, who has recently bagged the last two Ballon d’Or Awards for women’s soccer, was honored as the women’s player of the year at FIFA’s “The Best” awards just the day before, making it her second consecutive year receiving this recognition.
Arsenal secured their place as the fourth group winner and the second team from England after a thrilling 3-2 victory against Bayern Munich, clinched by a late penalty kick from Spanish forward Mariona Caldentey in the 86th minute.
Other group victors included the record-holding eight-time champions Lyon and Chelsea. Both Manchester City and Bayern Munich had already ensured their advancement to the knockout rounds as the second-place teams in their respective groups.
Barcelona’s players, many of whom were part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad, made a powerful declaration of their intent for a three-peat of Champions League titles. Clàudia Pina opened the scoring with a precise low shot in the 44th minute, and Bonmati extended the lead in the 57th minute.
Alexia Putellas added the finishing touch with a stunning long-range strike in the 67th minute, solidifying a dominant performance from the Spanish champions. In another match from Group D, Swedish side Hammarby secured a 2-1 victory over St. Pölten in Vienna to finish third in the group.
Lastly, Juventus achieved a 3-0 win against Valerenga, placing them third in Group C, behind Arsenal and Bayern Munich respectively.