Més que un club? More than empowerment. That was the message held aloft by 91,553 fans at the famous Camp Nou stadium as the women's soccer attendance record was set on Wednesday in Barcelona. The record crowd saw an unbelievable match with golazos raining in from both sides.
FC Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-2 to advance to the Women’s Champions League semifinals 8-3 on aggregate, but this was more than a regular match. This was a match that should once and for all shut up anyone who says no one cares about women’s sports, though misogynists will be triggered by the mere mention of women’s sports being successful.
A world-record at a women's football match #UWCL | @FCBfemeni pic.twitter.com/tPaYql8pZS
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
More than empowerment
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/Hia4tVJoft— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
E M P O W E R M E N T pic.twitter.com/L6AI1rYgjr
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 30, 2022
9️⃣1️⃣,5️⃣5️⃣3️⃣
A record-breaking night at Camp Nou pic.twitter.com/MmMZS3K5dE— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
. .@UWCL | @FCBfemeni | @realmadridfem pic.twitter.com/JehUsy1Pfh
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
On Tuesday, the Egypt-Senegal men’s World Cup qualifier in Dakar, Senegal, provided one of the best atmospheres I’ve seen in years. It took just one day for it to be outdone with the record-setting day in Barcelona, and the play on the pitch did not disappoint, with seven amazing goals.
The previous women's soccer attendance record was the 1999 Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and China. That match (a doubleheader with the third-place match) drew 90,185 fans to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Unofficially, the largest attendance for a women’s soccer match comes from the 1971 World Cup final between Denmark and Mexico, when 110,000 reportedly attended at the Azteca Stadium.
‣ 90,185 in 1999 at the Rose Bowl
‣ 91,553 today at Camp NouLet's keep it growing ⚽️ https://t.co/N7SrqLTcV5 pic.twitter.com/NGG1K6yrSn— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) March 30, 2022
Just over three years ago, another match in Spain set a record for attendance at a women’s club match at 60,739, which stood until Wednesday. In a few brief years, that record has been shattered by the best women’s soccer team in the world. All on a Wednesday evening in Barcelona.
For a bit of comparison, Barcelona’s largest home crowd for a men’s match this season was the 86,422 who showed up to watch a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in October.
Throughout the match, fans raised their placards to recreate the epic “MORE THAN EMPOWERMENT” tifo. It was a beautiful night for women’s soccer, which was illegal in Spain until 1975.
Here are a few more images of the incredible scenes at Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Women's Soccer Attendance Record Scenes
Every time a record gets broken, the Women’s game is treated properly and professionally, when people invest in women and support women, we get a small glimpse into the future. This is the present (and future) of women’s football.
— Anthony DiCicco (@DiCiccoMethod) March 30, 2022
Women’s football on a Wednesday night. A beautiful sight. pic.twitter.com/Fs4nWjSLI2
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) March 30, 2022
Alexia, Alexia @alexiaputellas ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/1ACLR4G14M
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
goosebumps.
this is what women in sports deserve all over the world pic.twitter.com/UmZEY8LeA1— Kayla Knapp (@TheKaylaKnapp) March 30, 2022
Incredible: Barcelona sold out the Camp Nou for their Women’s Champions League Clasico against Real Madrid. A spectacle that is a symbol of juggernaut growth of women’s game in Europe. As the sign says, “More than Empowerment” pic.twitter.com/qHU3vuPZSP
— roger bennett (@rogbennett) March 30, 2022
91,553 in the Camp Nou
Barcelona vs. Real Madrid set the world record for attendance at a women's football game pic.twitter.com/kHSvDPDVwa— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 30, 2022
Caroline Graham Hansen speaks to @SemraHunter after a dominant Barcelona victory pic.twitter.com/cp0ELtxLuo
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
Even before the match, fans flocked to the Camp Nou to show their support en masse.
The scenes outside of Camp Nou ahead of the Women's El Clasico pic.twitter.com/oack7kFOw0
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 30, 2022
"Nobody cares about women's sport" pic.twitter.com/d3qXgxmVKu
— Molly McElwee (@molly_mcelwee) March 30, 2022
Barcelona royalty was on hand to watch, including Carles Puyol and current men’s coach Xavi.
Carles Puyol and Xavi watch on at the Camp Nou
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/7KA9A7b3nd— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Highlights (UWCL Second Leg)
The match itself, against all odds, lived up to the amazing atmosphere.
In the first leg, Real Madrid stunned the reigning champ with an early goal, holding the lead into the second half before Barcelona scored three straight to take a 3-1 win that felt a bit harsh on the home side.
Coming in with a 3-1 aggregate lead, Barcelona could have just sat back and played defensively. With a massive crowd behind them, Barça instead took it to their rivals from the opening minute.
Mapi León kept the home fans roaring in the eighth minute with a cross/shot that ended up in the back of the net.
What a goal that is
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/mOXiclKQUr— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
Of course, we have to show that again...
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/t6OYG0Gd5a— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
Real Madrid gave itself a lifeline not long later when Olga Carmona converted a penalty kick after a hand ball in the box.
Real Madrid draw level from the penalty spot
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/lxcaN1niLv— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
Moments into the second half, the Barcelona faithful were briefly quieted by a stunning golazo from Claudia Zornoza, whose passing options strayed offside so she just launched an incredible goal from 40 yards out, catching Sandra Paños off her line.
UNBELIEVABLE GOAL FROM @claudiazornoza
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/UJQEvM6ggt— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
Zornoza’s goal was as if Carli Lloyd’s midfield strike against Japan in the 2015 Women’s World Cup final had a baby with Michael Bradley’s long-range lob against Mexico in the Azteca during 2018 World Cup qualifying.
From above for that insane goal.
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/iL4lguKyzY— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
The amazing strike pulled the visitors ahead on the night and within a goal on aggregate. But Barcelona quickly restored its two-goal aggregate advantage through the impeccable control of Aitana Bonmatí.
BONMATI EQUALISES IMMEDIATELY
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/D1lipRaqHB— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
And a few minutes later Barça retook the lead on the night with another stunning goal, this from Claudia Pina.
WOW CLÀUDIA PINA
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/ql5kjPJkM4— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
Then it was the captain’s turn to get on the score sheet. Alexia Putellas, the reigning world’s best player according to FIFA, didn’t hit the ball cleanly but got just enough on it to beat María Isabel Rodríguez. It was Alexia’s eighth goal in seven UWCL matches this season, but at this point the DAZN social media team was too overworked to tweet out the video.
Instead, the next goal to watch is this finish from Caroline Graham Hansen, with Fridolina Rolfö doing most of the hard work to set it up to bring the score to 5-2, 8-3 on aggregate.
That Fridolina Rolfö assist
Barcelona vs. Real Madridhttps://t.co/g4y6urk6O0
https://t.co/ronaygfgaK pic.twitter.com/rt03iyz3b8— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 30, 2022
The match finished 5-2 on the night, 8-3 on aggregate, but the number that will live long in the memory is 91,553, breaking a record that stood for more than two decades.