In the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup against Roma, teenage Salma Paralluelo gave Barcelona the advantage.

 In front of a crowd of 39,454, the most for a women's game in Italy, Paralluelo's looping shot gave Barca a slim first-half lead.

But in Stadio Olimpico, the finalists from the previous year were frightened.

Barcelona wasted several opportunities that almost cost them the game as Roma made a lot of late threats.

Asisat Oshoala, Aitana Bonmati, and Caroline Graham Hansen of Barcelona were all denied, and the 2021 champs missed other opportunities, especially after the half.

The impressive performance of Roma goalkeeper Camelia Ceasar frustrated the Spanish heavyweights, who have advanced to three finals in the last four years.

After stopping Graham Hansen and Bonmati before the break, Ceasar made several key stops to deny Oshoala, and defender Elena Linari also cleared off the line Oshoala's header.

Roma, who received a standing ovation from the home crowd at halftime for their efforts, had a flurry of opportunities and grew more comfortable in the game in the second half.

Before the Italians offered a hint of their menace on the counter-attack when Emilie Haavi later forced a deft save from Barcelona's Sandra Panos, Valentina Giacinti's shot was diverted by Maria Leon just inches over the bar.

With less than 10 minutes left, Andressa Alves missed the target and Manuela Giugliano saw her shot deflected over the bar. Giacinti then came close to tying the score with a deft free-kick routine in the final minute.

After Barcelona plays Real Madrid in Saturday's El Classico, Roma will go to Nou Camp for the second leg on March 29 in an effort to advance further in their debut European campaign.