Barcelona Women Thrash HB Koge 8-0 for Third Straight Women's Champions League Win
Barcelona Women thrashed HB Koge 8-0 in Denmark on Thursday night, October 29, to make it three wins from three in the Women's Champions League league phase. Seven different players scored in what is the defending champions' biggest win of the campaign so far. Barcelona now lead the standings on nine points and are the only team with a perfect record.
Barcelona were on top from the very first minute and had more than 70 percent of the possession for much of the match. Caroline Graham Hansen opened the scoring from the penalty spot. It came in her 100th appearance in the competition. Just before the break, Ewa Pajor made it 2-0, finishing off a pinpoint delivery from Claudia Pina.
The second half was even more one-sided. Early after the restart, Esme Brugts headed in a Sydney Schertenleib cross at the far post for 3-0. Patri Guijarro then scored a neat backheel after a scramble in the box following a corner. Clara Serrajordi made it 5-0 with a fine long-range strike. All three goals came before the hour mark.
Substitute Kika Nazareth added the sixth. The Portugal international also hit the crossbar with a spectacular overhead kick. Claudia Pina then scored twice to complete the rout, and her second goal made it 8-0. Barcelona's coach, Pere Romeu, used the big lead to give minutes to some of the club's young players, including Noa Jimenez. Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati did not get on the scoresheet.
The win follows a 5-2 victory at home against Paris FC in the opening round and a 6-0 win at Roma. In total, Barcelona have now scored 19 goals and conceded only two in three games. The result also came in the same week Barcelona were named the best women's club at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London.
HB Koge remain on three points and slipped to 11th place in the 18-team table. Lyon, Arsenal and Chelsea are the closest chasers on seven points each, two points behind Barcelona. Juventus won 4-1 at Austria Vienna on the same night to move up to fifth. Barcelona's next European match is a home game against Arsenal at Camp Nou.