Barcelona and Real Madrid women’s football teams meet in the semi-finals of the 2022 Copa de la Reina at the Municipal de Santo Domingo on Wednesday. This is the third meeting between the two since March 22, with Barca set to win their first two encounters against Real in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals, 3-1 and 5-2. Barcelona, who enter this clash after a 3-1 defeat by Lyon in last weekend’s Champions League final, are led by Alexis Putellas. Putellas has been named Champions League player of the season after 11 goals and 10 games and will certainly be closely watched by the Real Madrid defence.
How to Watch Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (Copa de la Reina 2022 Semifinals)
What time does the game start? Where can I watch it on TV? – Wednesday game starts at 3:00pm EST. The game will be streamed via ESPN+, which can be accessed via the ESPN app on smart TVs and streaming devices.
Live Stream Options:- ESPN+ — While the game will not be televised, it will be available to stream in English and Spanish via ESPN+. This is a separate service from regular ESPN and requires a separate subscription starting at $5.99 per month. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ here.
More from Associated Press:
TURIN, Italy (AP) — Lyon have their trophy back.
The French club defeated defending champions and favorites Barcelona 3-1 on Saturday to secure a record eighth Women’s Champions League trophy.
“We felt the strength of the whole team, I think everyone was 200% motivated,” said player of the match Amandine Henry, who scored a stunning opener.
“We’ve said since the start of the season that we want to win this trophy back. So we really wanted to make our mark on the field. And I think we made it through mental strength more than physical strength.”
The final had it all: an early contender for Goal of the Season – and a performance that would have given him stiff competition had he gone in rather than hitting the woodwork – and a goal for the league’s all-time top scorer their comeback season.
That helped give Lyon a 3-0 lead after just 33 minutes and some determined defenders saw it home as coach Sonia Bompastor became the first woman to win the competition both as a coach and player.
“The feelings,” Bompastor said, “are the same in terms of intensity, as a coach or as a player. Because you know all the work that has gone into this, everything that has been done to enable us to achieve this goal.”
At the end of her playing career, she helped Lyon to their first two Champions League titles.
“The only difference between games and coaches is experience. It was eight years ago and I’m a little older, a little wiser. What made me happy about today’s win is that we were able to show what makes this team, individually and together.”
Lyon have won eight of the last twelve women’s champions leagues. Captain Wendie Renard, Sarah Bouhaddi and Eugénie Le Sommer have all been part of those successes.
But Barcelona went into the final in Turin as favorites, after one defeat all season and none on the domestic side. However, that may have been his downfall.
“I don’t want to give an apology. Our opponent played a fantastic game and deserved to win,” said Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez.
“The competitive rhythm of the season does not depend on us. What we can do is try to have a high level of competitiveness in every game because that prepares us for other games.”
Giráldez’s side were also supported by a raucous crowd. More than 35,000 tickets were sold for the final and the small group of Lyon fans – waving Norwegian flags for their star striker – were vastly outnumbered by their Barcelona counterparts.
“I felt like we were playing in our own stadium, the noise they made was amazing. That’s why I’m so sad,” he added.
A fantastic solo effort got Lyon rolling in the sixth minute. Henry slipped into a tackle and quickly got up to collect the ball, slice inside and roll a 30-yard shot into the top right corner.
Just as Barcelona were in charge, Lyon scored again after Selma Bacha worked up the left flank and crossed to unmarked Ada Hegerberg for a record-breaking 59th goal in 60 league games.
For Hegerberg, it was a fitting way to cap off her comeback season. The Norwegian returned in October after almost two years out through injury.
Running against a shocked Barcelona – who had won all of their Spanish league games – Lyon extended their lead even further in the 33rd.
The Barcelona defense messed the ball up in their own penalty area and Hegerberg rolled it to Catarina Macario for the easiest shot.
Just before half-time, Barcelona captain and Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas brought them up to reignite hope.
Patricia Guijarro almost scored a spectacular goal in the 58th minute when she spotted Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler from her line, but the daring chip from the middle of the Lyon half went over the bar.
Hegerberg also hit the post deep in stoppage time.
