Chelsea have been knocked out of the UEFA Women’s Champions League following a dreadful 1-4 defeat to Barcelona at Stamford Bridge.
Barça already had one foot in the final after their 4-1 win in Catalunya last weekend, and needed just thirty minutes in SW6 to extend their lead with a blistering solo goal from Aitana Bonmatí. But still, the goals kept flowing.
Ewa Pajor turned home a Caroline Graham Hansen cross from close range just minutes before Clàudia Pina curled a stunning effort in via the post, extending the Blaugrana‘s aggregate lead to a staggering six goals at half time.
Salma Paralluelo added the fourth goal of the afternoon in the 90th minute, displaying excellent skill to dink the ball over Niamh Charles before poking past Hannah Hampton – and there would still be time for Chelsea to score a consolation that was raucously applauded by the home faithful.
Pere Romeu’s side will face either Olympique Lyonnais or Arsenal in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final at Lisbon’s Estádio José Alvalade on Saturday 24 May.
As it happened
The toughest challenge yet of the Sonia Bompastor era awaited Chelsea on Sunday, in front of 26,792 fans at Stamford Bridge. The former French international assured fans that they’d “go for it” – but instead they found themselves pinned back early on, with a hooked strike from Aitana Bonmatí and a long-range effort from Alexia Putellas both flying over the bar inside the opening ten minutes.
Chelsea forced chances of their own too, though, and could have reduced the aggregate deficit when Sjoeke Nüsken and then Niamh Charles forced Cata Coll into action.
But it was a moment of defensive disorganisation that would provide Barcelona with chance to score the first goal of the afternoon, and a delightful solo run from Aitana Bonmatí was finished off with a beautiful strike from a tight angle after she’d dashed from her own half into the final third.
Chelsea’s hopes of reaching the final were, realistically, done and dusted at that point – but Barça did not ease off the gas, and scored twice in as many minutes as the half-time whistle approached to extend their aggregate advantage to six goals.
Played out on the flank by Bonmatí, Graham Hansen’s cross was turned home from close range by Ewa Pajor – and the Catalan contingent in the south-west corner of Stamford Bridge had barely finished celebrating before Clàudia Pina curled a stunning strike from the edge of the box towards the back post and over the line, via a deflection off the far post.
Sonia Bompastor’s side looked, as the result of a flurry of substitutions, to be stronger in the final third as the clock ticked into the final half hour – but they not find a consolation, and instead found themselves further behind when, inside the final minute, Salma Paralluelo lifted the ball over Charles to create space to poke past Hampton.
Chelsea’s home faithful were finally awarded cause for celebration when a stoppage time consolation from Wieke Kaptein beat Cata Coll and rippled the roof of the net.
Come the final whistle though, it was not enough for the Blues and they were forced to settle for a 2-8 aggregate defeat as Barça progress to face either Olympique Lyonnais or Arsenal in the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League final. It marks the third consecutive season in which Chelsea have been defeated by the Blaugrana at this stage of the competition.
The lineups
CHE: Hampton; Charles, Bright, Girma, Bronze; Nüsken, Walsh; Baltimore, Cuthbert, Rytting Kaneryd; Ramírez
BAR: Coll; Rolfö, León, Paredes, Batlle; Putellas, Guijarro, Bonmatí; Pina, Pajor, Hansen