Real Madrid women let another one slip in Champions League as Quesada blames Barca for lack of trophies

Real Madrid were up 2-0 in Munich, and it felt like the elusive European win was finally within reach. But Bayern pushed back, leveled the score, and left Pau Quesada's side with a bitter taste: 2-2, and once again the sense that something had slipped away.

The match script went from promising to frustrating for the Spanish side. Athenea del Castillo and Lineth Beerensteyn built an early cushion with two quick goals, but the German club responded with strikes from Edna Imade and Momoko Tanikawa to seal the equalizer.

The result leaves Real Madrid in 10th place in the Women's Champions League table, with just three points after three matchdays. The draw against Bayern is no isolated incident either: the Whites had already split points with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. Three games, three draws, zero wins.

Given that outlook, you might expect some self-criticism. But Quesada, speaking to Disney+ after the final whistle, chose instead to shift the spotlight elsewhere: to the shadow he believes Barcelona casts over everything his team does.

The reality is that if we hadn't had to face Barca, we would already have won more than one title. If we played in England, we would have won the English league; if we played in Germany, we could have won the German league.Pau Quesada

The coach didn't stop there. He insisted this shouldn't be viewed as a problem, but rather as motivation to demand more of the team.

This is a reality we shouldn't see as a problem. We need to see that we have to be more demanding of ourselves. I think PSG deals with the same thing in their league. Sometimes we don't get enough credit, because Barca puts a ceiling on us when it comes to winning titles.Pau Quesada

There are numbers that back up the complaint, though they also explain why it's a tough argument to make. Since Real Madrid's women's team was formed in 2020, the club hasn't lifted a single major trophy: five runner-up finishes and a third-place result in Liga F, plus another lost final in the 2023 Copa de la Reina. On the other side stands a Barcelona side that has won the Champions League four times (most recently last season) and has reeled off seven straight Liga F titles. In Clasicos, Barcelona's dominance is even more crushing: of 26 meetings, Barcelona won 25, with Madrid's only celebration coming in March 2025.

"We're going to beat them this season"

Despite those lopsided numbers, Quesada didn't dodge the direct challenge. Instead, he issued a promise that sounded like a statement of intent for the rest of the campaign.

I think Barca is the worst opponent any team can face, because they're a club with an established structure, they've been playing together for a long time. But we can beat them. We're going to beat them this season.Pau Quesada

The coach also made clear that what the team showed against Manchester City and against Bayern needs to become the standard, not the exception.

With what we saw from ourselves against City, and what we did today against Bayern, we have to produce that every three days. We have to show what we want to be. We're here to win, and a draw isn't enough.Pau Quesada

Real Madrid, knocked out in the Champions League quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons (both times by the eventual champion), know their coach's words will need to show up on the scoreboard soon. Because there's no shortage of ambitious talk, but so far, there have been no wins at all in this European campaign.