Chelsea 0-2 FC Barcelona
Barcelona win 2-1 on aggregate
by Ava-Marianne Elliott at Stamford Bridge for Impetus (28/4/24)
Above: Aitana Bonmati celebrates her goal that levelled the scores on aggregate last night. Photo: Sky Sports.
Reigning UWCL Champions Barcelona overturned 1-0 first leg deficit to deliver a devastating defeat to Chelsea in front of a sold-out crowd at Stamford Bridge.
Heading into the fixture, Emma Hayes’ side saw just one change to the lineup that dealt Barcelona their first defeat on home soil in five years during the first leg. Catarina Macario was brought into the squad to take the place of Mayra Ramirez, who was unavailable for selection after sustaining an injury. Similarly, Jonatan Giráldez made a singular switch to his Barcelona side. Lucy Bronze was recalled to the starting XI, with Mariona Caldentey dropping to the bench.
With the first finalist spot at Bilbao at stake, it was evident that the fixture was going to be intense. The early minutes on the clock saw both sides granted early opportunities to make a difference to the scoreline, however there was an equal distribution of wasteful mistakes whilst fighting for early control, the role of nerves eminently present.
Chelsea’s first glimpse at doubling their lead and opening the night’s scoring came in the 16th minute when Erin Cuthbert was found by Ashley Lawrence’s cross. Much to the crowd’s dismay, the shot soared far over the bar. In quick succession, another chance arose for the home side, but there was nobody in sight as an option for Lawrence to send the ball to.
Hannah Hampton had work to do for the first time of the evening when Lucy Bronze sent a cross into the box from the right channel. Although the ball was headed away, it fell directly to an awaiting Caroline Graham Hansen, who sent a relatively tame volley low from the edge of the box.
Barcelona’s breakthrough appeared at the 26-minute mark when Aitana Bonmati had her say, sending the aggregate scoreline equal. Her formidable presence quickly ripped the Blues’ lead from their grasp, her shot taking a deflection off Kadeisha Buchanan and escaping the reach of Hannah Hampton’s glove.
With their aggregate goal advantage now gone, there was work to be done for Chelsea. There was a golden opportunity to regain their lead in the 31st minute when Lauren James crossed the ball over to an unmarked Melanie Leupolz who pulled back her foot, sending an effort from six yards out smashing agonisingly against the crossbar.
Macario’s shot in the 35th minute was barely pushed away by Cata Coll, and a mistimed back-pass from Irene Paredes just two minutes later was pounced on by Sjoeke Nüsken. Lauren James was just unable to convert the cross, and Kaneryd just wasn’t able to make the right shot after her teammates miss, handing Barcelona another enormous let-off for their mistakes.
It looked as if Barcelona would source the winner when the second half opened, the team holding a completely dominant spell of possession in and around the Chelsea box. After a run of shots superbly blocked by the immense defensive efforts from the Blues’ backline, there was relief for the home side when Ona Batlle sent the ball over the goal.
Things reverted back to Chelsea’s control when Bonmati sent Macario to ground, conceding a free kick in a promising position. Despite Macario’s shot being unsuccessful, another excellent chance to level the score arose just before the 60-minute mark, when James sent the ball across to Lawrence down the right-hand side of the pitch. She cut it back for an arriving Nüsken, but the shot excruciatingly missed the net by a fine line, spinning against the outside of the post.
Although the chances were appearing, things progressed from bad to worse for Chelsea when they were forced down to ten. Buchanan was shown two yellows in quick succession, the first in the 54th minute when the defender forced Paralluelo to the floor, the second in the 59th minute after catching Patri Guijarro on the ankle with her foot trying to collect a loose pass. The call was controversial, and it left the home side in an even more unfavourable position against the world’s best.
A run of chances followed for both sides. Chelsea were visibly putting up a significant fight despite having such a huge disadvantage, but it wasn’t long before misfortune struck again. Carter pushed an advancing Bonmati into Lawrence, who caught the midfielder’s leg just inside the box, sending her to ground. The referee signalled to the spot, with VAR confirming another controversial call.
Rolfö kept a level head as she stepped up to take the crucial penalty that would give Barcelona the lead in front of the home crowd shouting discouragement from behind the goal. She cooly converted from the spot, sending Hampton flying in the opposite direction and giving her side a huge advantage.
With just 15 minutes left on the clock to source an equaliser, it was going to be a difficult affair for Chelsea.
In the 78th minute, Chelsea found themselves in a positive position, but frustration rose when nobody in a blue shirt was able to find the end of Cuthbert’s cross. The amount of options remaining was running dry, and Barcelona’s clever game management was beginning to come into play.
The 83rd minute saw captain Millie Bright make her first appearance since November, who was thrown on at centre-forward. Tension was evidently sky high as the final grains of sand ran through the hourglass.
A minimum of six minutes of extra time was announced, and it seemed to inject even more life into a depleted Chelsea. In the dying moments of the game, their efforts to find an equaliser increased. Yet, despite a free kick just outside the box and shouts for a penalty in the 94th minute, they failed to find the net.
The sound of the final whistle brought a contrasting mix of emotions on the pitch and in the stands. For Giráldez’s Barcelona, there was elation as their place at Bilbao in May and a chance to defend their title was secured, facing either Paris St. Germain or Olympique Lyonnais in the final. For Hayes’ Chelsea however, disappointment and heartbreak marked the end of the Blues’ manager’s final game at the Bridge, with Barcelona knocking them out of the competition for the third time in four years.
In her post-match interview, Hayes’ stressed the importance of correct officiating decisions being made, particularly at such high levels of the game. “I was surprised when I saw her [Demetrescu] selected. She’s famous for easy cards and I think that that is the probably the worst decision in UEFA Women’s Champions League history.
“When you work so hard for days, weeks, months, years, you come here and you expect the best from the officials at the very least, and it feels really, really hard to take.” Further, she stressed how gutted she was for her players, outlining that she personally believed they “didn’t feel like we [Chelsea] had the opportunity to lose it.
“The toughest thing to take is that we didn’t lose it. There’s nothing you can do when there’s such a terrible decision and it’s already hard enough. They are a top team.”
Teams: CHELSEA: Hampton, Lawrence, Carter, Buchanan, Charles, Cuthbert, Leupolz, Nüsken, James, Kaneryd, Macario. Substitutes: Mušović (GK), Bright, Ingle, Reiten, Kirby, Périsset, Mjelde, Ćanković, Beever-Jones, Björn
FC BARCELONA: Coll, Paredes, Paralluelo, Graham, Patri, Aitana, Bronze, Rolfö, Walsh, O.Batlle, Engen Substitutes: Paños (GK), Gemma, Jana, Pina, Marta, Mariona, Alexia, Bruna, Brugts, Vicky, Martina.
Scorers: Bonmati 25′, Rolfö (pen) 75′.
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu (ROM).
Attendance: 39,398.
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