Hansen: Barcelona out to avenge last season's Champions League final defeat

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ShareBarcelona reached the Women's Champions League semi-finals with victory over Real Madrid, teeing up a clash with Bayern Munich.Caroline Graham Hansen insisted that Barcelona are doing everything they can to make up for last season's disappointment in this year's Women's Champions League. Hansen's comments came after Barcelona booked their place in the semi-finals of the competition with a 6-0 thrashing of Clasico rivals Real Madrid in the second leg. The Norwegian netted a brace, while Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes, Ewa Pajor and Esmee Brugts were also on target to confirm an emphatic 12-2 victory on aggregate. It was the joint-second highest-scoring quarter-final aggregate result in the competition's history, with only FFC Turbine Potsdam v Valur in 2005-06 (21 goals) seeing more. Barcelona will now face Bayern Munich for a place in the showpiece match, as they look to avenge their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Estadio Jose Alvalade last season. Hansen played the duration of that defeat against Renee Slegers' side, and the 30-year-old is keen to go one step further this time around. "Of course, it's part of football. You can play as well as you want all season," Hansen told reporters."But when it comes down to being there in the final, we weren't last season."So obviously we want to try to reach the final again and show that we can play well in finals again. Because we have done it, and we want to repeat it."Barcelona have now won 24 of their 25 meetings with Madrid in all competitions (L1), while the Blaugrana have won each of their 13 meetings in cup competitions by an aggregate score of 51-7. And Pere Romeu's side were worthy of their victory, given they registered an expected goals (xG) total of 5.36 from their 33 attempts, 14 of which were on target, compared to Madrid's 1.07 from their eight shots. The Blaugrana boss was pleased with the ruthlessness on show by his team. Having already led 6-2 from the first leg, Barcelona found themselves four goals in front with just 34 minutes on the clock at Camp Nou. "I'm privileged to work here but not just for matches like this, nights like we've enjoyed. Privileged because the group is so competitive," Romeu said."They are hungry to improve. They worked from minute one to 90. When the tie was so wrapped up, it's incredible that my players kept their hunger and intensity to that level."We really have to praise these players of ours. It's going to be difficult to repeat a group like we've got right now. They've won so much, but they never drop their level."They train like they play – 100% in every training session and every match. That's not easy. That's why we were able to beat a really good opponent like Real Madrid."For Madrid, meanwhile, they were beaten at the quarter-final stage of the competition for the second consecutive season, having lost 3-2 against Arsenal in 2024-25. However, Los Blancos boss Pau Quesada conceded that his team were second best throughout the tie and were no match for Barcelona in the second leg. "Barcelona just ran over the top of us," Quesada conceded when talking to UEFA.com. "I think they were very superior to us in all areas."We knew that this was a team which, when they have their night, there's little you can do. "We did a lot of things which weren't right, and the vast majority of that pertains to my strategy, which I think was wrong. But, we can be self-critical in the coming days."Barcelona reached the Women's Champions League semi-finals with victory over Real Madrid, teeing up a clash with Bayern Munich.Caroline Graham Hansen insisted that Barcelona are doing everything they can to make up for last season's disappointment in this year's Women's Champions League. Hansen's comments came after Barcelona booked their place in the semi-finals of the competition with a 6-0 thrashing of Clasico rivals Real Madrid in the second leg. The Norwegian netted a brace, while Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes, Ewa Pajor and Esmee Brugts were also on target to confirm an emphatic 12-2 victory on aggregate. It was the joint-second highest-scoring quarter-final aggregate result in the competition's history, with only FFC Turbine Potsdam v Valur in 2005-06 (21 goals) seeing more. Barcelona will now face Bayern Munich for a place in the showpiece match, as they look to avenge their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Estadio Jose Alvalade last season. Hansen played the duration of that defeat against Renee Slegers' side, and the 30-year-old is keen to go one step further this time around. "Of course, it's part of football. You can play as well as you want all season," Hansen told reporters."But when it comes down to being there in the final, we weren't last season."So obviously we want to try to reach the final again and show that we can play well in finals again. Because we have done it, and we want to repeat it."Barcelona have now won 24 of their 25 meetings with Madrid in all competitions (L1), while the Blaugrana have won each of their 13 meetings in cup competitions by an aggregate score of 51-7. And Pere Romeu's side were worthy of their victory, given they registered an expected goals (xG) total of 5.36 from their 33 attempts, 14 of which were on target, compared to Madrid's 1.07 from their eight shots. The Blaugrana boss was pleased with the ruthlessness on show by his team. Having already led 6-2 from the first leg, Barcelona found themselves four goals in front with just 34 minutes on the clock at Camp Nou. "I'm privileged to work here but not just for matches like this, nights like we've enjoyed. Privileged because the group is so competitive," Romeu said."They are hungry to improve. They worked from minute one to 90. When the tie was so wrapped up, it's incredible that my players kept their hunger and intensity to that level."We really have to praise these players of ours. It's going to be difficult to repeat a group like we've got right now. They've won so much, but they never drop their level."They train like they play – 100% in every training session and every match. That's not easy. That's why we were able to beat a really good opponent like Real Madrid."For Madrid, meanwhile, they were beaten at the quarter-final stage of the competition for the second consecutive season, having lost 3-2 against Arsenal in 2024-25. However, Los Blancos boss Pau Quesada conceded that his team were second best throughout the tie and were no match for Barcelona in the second leg. "Barcelona just ran over the top of us," Quesada conceded when talking to UEFA.com. "I think they were very superior to us in all areas."We knew that this was a team which, when they have their night, there's little you can do. "We did a lot of things which weren't right, and the vast majority of that pertains to my strategy, which I think was wrong. But, we can be self-critical in the coming days."