FC Barcelona Women's World Cup Diary
A total of 18 Barça players are at the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with many in with a chance of winning the trophy at the most even tournament in history on paper.
The FC Barcelona players are representing eight different national sides. The Spanish squad features the most Barça players, namely Irene Paredes, Aitana, Mariona Caldentey, Alexia Putellas, Laia Codina, María Pérez, Salma Paralluelo, Cata Coll and Ona Batlle. England (Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze) and Norway (Engen and Hansen) both have two blaugranas in their squads. Nigeria (Oshoala), Brazil (Geyse), Italy (Giulia Dragoni), Sweden (Rölfo) and Switzerland (Crnogorčević) all have one Barça player.
Sunday 20 August
Spain captain Olga Carmona broke the deadlock in the Women's World Cup final, scoring with a low shot into the far corner after 29 minutes to make it 1-0. Despite a missed penalty by former blaugrana Hermoso, Spain and Cata Coll, Irene Paredes, Laia Codina, Ona Batlle, Maria Pérez, Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí, Salma Paralluelo and Mariona Caldentey are all now World Cup winners!
Both sides include Barça players in their starting elevens, with 9 of the 11 that could feature included, namely Cata Coll, Laia Codina, Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey and Salma Paralluelo for Spain, and Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze for England.
Saturday 19 August
Australia 0-2 Sweden
Barça forward Fridolina Rolfö scored a first half penalty with Asllani adding a second after the break to give the Swedes victory and third place in the tournament thanks to their well deserved victory over co-hosts Australia.
Wednesday 16 August
England 3-1 Australia
Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh will also be featuring in a World Cup Final with an immense FC Barcelona presence, with nine of their club colleagues in the Spain squad that they'll be facing at 11am CEST on Sunday. The Lionesses saw off host nation Australia 3-1 in Sydney. Ella Toone's opener was cancelled out by an extraordinary finish from Sam Kerr for the Matildas. But England quelled a strong fightback from the Aussies, with goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo eventually securing the country's first ever appearance in the grand final. Walsh and Bronze both played the full match.
Tuesday 15 August
Spain 2-1 Sweden
Spain are through to the World Cup Final for the first time ever after beating Rolfo's Sweden in a tightly contested semi-final at Eden Park. There were six Barça players in the starting line-up (Cata Coll; Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Laia Codina, Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas), while Barça's Salma Paralluelo came on as a second half substitute and looked to have set them on course for victory with her 81st minute goal.
An equaliser from Swedish substitute Rebecka Blomqvist then looked to have sent the game into extra time. However, almost immediately after the restart, Olga Carmona put Spain back into the lead and this time the Spaniards were able to hold on. They'll be facing either Australia or England in Sunday's final in Sydney.
Saturday 12 August
England 2-1 Colombia
Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh are into the semi finals too after the Lionesses came from behind to put an end to Colombia's journey. Leicy Santos put the South Americans ahead just before half-time, but Lauren Hemp levelled up almost immediately after. Alessia Russo's second half goal eventually split the sides in a tight encounter. England will now face Australia in what promises to be an absolute humdinger of a semi final. The hosts had seen off France on penalties earlier in the day.
Friday 11 August
Japan 1-2 Sweden
Sweden are through to the semi-finals where they will meet Spain after a hard fought victory over Japan in their quarter-final. Barça's Fridolina Rolfö played 73 minutes for Sweden before being substituted in the second half. Goals either side of half time saw the Swedes take control of the contest until a late strike from their opponents produced a nervous last few minutes for the Scandinavians.
Spain 2-1 Netherlands
Barça's Cata Coll, Irene Paredes, Laia Codina, Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey were in the starting line up, and Salma, the match winner, came on in the 71st minute of the quarter final win for Spain. Goals from blaugranes Mariona and Salma handed Jorge Vilda's team an extra time victory and a place in Tuesday's semi finals.
Wednesday 9 August
There are still 12 FC Barcelona players left in the competition, and this is how they'll be lining up in the quarter finals:
- Friday 11 August (3am CEST) SPAIN v Netherlands (Cata Coll, Laia Codina, Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, María Pérez, Aitana Bonmatí, Alèxia Putellas, Salma Paralluelo, Mariona Caldentey)
- Friday 11 August (9:30am CEST) Japan v SWEDEN (Fridolina Rolfö)
- Saturday 12 August (9:00am CEST) Australia v France
- Saturday 12 August (12:30pm CEST) ENGLAND v Colombia (Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh)
Monday 7 August
England 0-0 Nigeria (England win 4-2 on penalties)
England are through to the quarterfinals after a nervy penalty shoot out win against Nigeria. Keira Walsh returned from injury to join Lucy Bronze in an England side that finished with 10 players after a straight red card. The Nigeria side featured Asisat Oshoala, who came on as a substitute in the 58th minute. England will player the winners of the Colombia v Jamaica tie in the quarterfinals.
Sunday 6 August
Sweden 0-0 USA (Sweden win 5-4 on penalties)
Sweden and Rolfö knocked out World Cup holders USA in a very even tie that went the full 90 minutes plus 30 minutes extra time. A quarterfinal spot against an in-form Japan side awaited the winner, with the tie decided by an incident packed penalty shoot out, which needed confirmation that the final penalty crossed the line before the Scandinavians could celebrate.
The Netherlands beat South Africa 2-0 in the earlier fixture to book a place in the quarterfinals against Spain on the same side of the draw.
Saturday 5 August
Japan 3-1 Norway
The World Cup is over for Ingrid Engen and Caroline Graham Hansen as Norway bowed out following a 3-1 defeat to Japan. Engen put the ball in her own net to gift Japan an early lead, and although the Scandinavians quickly equalised, Japan were just too good on the day and march on to the quarter finals, where they'll be a tough test for either Sweden or the United States.
Spain 5-1 Switzerland
Spain bounced back from a 4-0 reverse against Japan to trounce Ana Maria Crnogorcevic's Switzerland 5-1 to become the first quarter finalists. With Cata Coll making her international debut in goal, Irene Paredes, Laia Codina (also earning her first international cap), Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí and Salma Paralluelo all starting and Alexia and Maria Pérez coming off the bench, it was practically the Barça team out there. Aitana scored first, followed by Laia Codina, but in the wrong net, although she would make up for that with a goal at the other end later on. Aitana got a second later on and also scored two assists, including one for former Barça player Jenni Hermoso to make it 5-1 and complete the rout. Next up for Spain is the winner of the Netherlands v South Africa game being played on Sunday.
Thursday 3 August
No FC Barcelona representation in the final round of group games today, which saw one of the pre-tournament favourites in Germany go out after a draw with the Korea Republic.
The round of sixteen games begin on 5 August with no less than 16 Barça players still in the tournament.
Wednesday 2 August
Jamaica 0-0 Brazil
Brazil are going home after a goalless draw sent their opponents Jamaica through to the next round. Potentially featuring groundbreaking player Marta for the final time, Geyse came on for the final ten minutes to try to break the deadlock and secure qualification, but it wasn't to be.
Sweden 2-0 Argentina
Fridolina Rolfö's side are safely through to the last sixteen following today's win, although the Barça star didn't feature in today's game. They now face an enticing game against defending champions USA in the knockout stages.
South Africa 3-2 Italy
The tournament is over for Giulia Dragoni and Italy in the most frustrating of manners. They were set to join Sweden in the next round, but a South African goal in injury time brought heartache. Young Dragoni has shown her full potential by playing in all three games for her country, totalling 232 minutes.
Tuesday 1 August
China 1-6 England
England, with Lucy Bronze in the side for 71 minutes but Keira Walsh out injured, have cruised past China 6-1 to make mathematically sure of their place in the last 16, where they will be facing Oshoala's Nigeria.
Monday 31 July
Nigeria 0-0 Rep.of Ireland
Barça striker Asisat Oshoala played 67 minutes of Nigeria draw against the Irish which sees the African nation through to the last 16 as runners-up in their group. In the next round they will face either England, Denmark or China.
Japan 4-0 Spain
Spain have suffered a heavy defeat to former champions Japan, with Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes and Aitana Bonmatí featuring throughout and Mariona, Salma and Alexia also starting. The result means that Spain will have to settle for second place in the group, which means a last 16 encounter against Crnogorčević's Switzerland.
Sunday 30 July
Norway 6-0 Philippines
With only a point from the opening two games, Norway were under pressure to win this fixture handsomely to ensure passage through to the next round. However, they did just that, including Hansen scoring a low shot from distance for the third goal in this comfortable victory. Engen came on in the second half to help ensure the triumph.
Switzerland 0-0 New Zealand
Needing a draw to go through as group winners, Switzerland completed the task, knocking out co-hosts New Zealand in the process. Crnogorčević played virtually the entire match, with clear cut opportunities for both sides few and far between.
Saturday 29 July
With one round of games to go in the group stage, here's the the lowdown on the situation for each team with Barça players.
Sweden 5-0 Italy
Sweden, with Rolfö playing 62 minutes and scoring the second goal, have waltzed into the next round after crushing Italy 5-0. Dragoni played 59 minutes for the losing side, who despite the defeat can still qualify for the knockout stage by beating South Africa on the final day.
France 2-1 Brazil
It's a loss for Geyse and Brazil, who despite equalising after 58 minutes were eventually beaten by a late goals from Renard. The Barça striker played the first hour of the game. The South Americans will play Panama in their final game, and a win there would still be enough to ensure they go through.
Friday 28 July
England 1-0 Denmark
European champions England have picked up a second consecutive 1-0 win, this time over Denmark, with the only goal converted by Lauren James after just 6 minutes. It hasn't quite secured mathematical qualification, but very, very nearly. Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze both started the game, although Walsh was stretchered off with a knee injury after 38 minutes. England manager Sarina Wiegman was unable to offer precise details after the game, but did say that "if you can't walk off the pitch it's serious." Let's hope it wasn't as bad as it looked.
Thursday 27 July
Nigeria 3-2 Australia
Nigeria produced one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far by defeating host nation Australia. Barça's Asisat Oshoala took advantage of a defensive mix-up to score what turned out to be the winner just eight minutes after coming on as a second half substitute. Having drawn with Canada in their opening match, the result leaves Nigeria strongly poised to progress to the next round, but they'll need at least a point in their final match against Ireland to make absolutely sure.
Wednesday 26 July
Spain 5-0 Zambia
With Irene Paredes, Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, Ona Batlle, Salma Paralluelo and Alexia Putellas all featuring (the latter giving an assist), Spain had little trouble seeing off their African opposition at Eden Park, and the result confirms their qualification for the last 16 with a game in hand. Top spot in Group C will be decided head-to-head in the final game against Japan.
Tuesday 25 July
Switzerland 0-0 Norway
Crnogorčević's Switzerland side came up against a Norway team including blaugranes Hansen and Engen. The game ended goalless with Barça's Swiss international Crnogorčević playing all 90 minutes and Hansen and Engen coming on as substitutes in the 57th minute and 88th minute respectively.
Monday 24 July
Brazil 4-0 Panama
Striker Geyse Ferreira came on as a second half substitute in Brazil's opening fixture of the World Cup. The blaugrana entered the fray just before the hour mark and provided an assist for her team's fourth and final goal.
Italy 1-0 Argentina
Giulia Dragoni played 83 minutes of the game as Italy got their tournament off to a winning start.
Sunday 23 July
Sweden 2-1 South Africa
Fridolina Rolfö scored for Sweden to level proceedings before being substituted after 67 minutes, with her teammates going on to claim a very late win over South Africa in this opening group G game.
Saturday 22 July
England 1-0 Haiti
Blaugranes Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh both started and played all 90 minutes in the opening win for the 'Lionesses' which came courtesy of a first half penalty from Georgia Stanway.
Friday 21 July
Nigeria 0-0 Canada
Oshoala played every minute apart from the last few of injury time as their opening fixture with the North Americans ended without score.
Switzerland 2-0 Philippines
Ana-Maria Crnogorčević played the full game against the World Cup debutants. Goals either side of half-time won it for the Swiss.
Spain 3-0 Costa Rica
A comfortable win in the opening game for Spain included an Aitana goal to make it 2-0. She and Irene Paredes played the full game and Salma Paralluelo and Ona Batlle also started, the latter providing the assist for Aitana. Mariona Caldentey and Alexia both came on towards the end of a game played under a torrential downpour.
Thursday, 20 July
New Zealand 1-0 Norway
Hansen and Engen both played the full 90 minutes of the opening game of the tournament, but Norway were beaten after the host nation scored shortly after the restart. New Zealand missed a late penalty that could have doubled the damage, and now the Scandinavians will need to bounce back against Switzerland the Philippines.