Chelsea 0-2 Barcelona (Bonmati 25′, Rolfo pen 75′) (Barcelona win 2-1 on aggregate)
A bittersweet night for Emma Hayes ended with one dream realised and another thwarted.
In front of the women’s team’s first full house at Stamford Bridge, an ambition long-held by the Chelsea manager, her team were beaten in the Champions League semi-final for the second year in succession by defending champions Barcelona.
It was the cruellest of exits. First a deflected 25th-minute goal by World Player of the Year Aitana Bonmati rubbed out Chelsea’s first-leg lead. Then, minutes after Sjoeke Nusken had hit the post, centre-half Kadeisha Buchanan was harshly dismissed on the hour mark.
Chelsea’s ten held on for 15 minutes, but then conceded an unfortunate penalty. Fridolina Rolfo converted and there was no way back from that.
Hayes even tried the ‘Hail Millie’ option, sending on England centre-back Millie Bright, out since November, as an emergency centre-forward, but to no avail.
Hayes had been hamstrung from the start. A late injury ruled out Mayra Ramirez, such a powerful presence in the first leg, so US striker Catarina Macario led the line. For Barcelona, Lucy Bronze came in for Mariona Caldentey as the visitors changed shape to 4-5-1.
After a cagey first quarter the breakthrough came as Bonmati, having dummied Niamh Charles on the edge of the box, saw her shot deflect off Kadeisha Buchanan and beat the stranded keeper.
It was cruel on Chelsea and they briefly wobbled as Barca pushed for a second.
But they held on and began to create good chances of their own. Melanie Leupolz, albeit probably offside, hit the bar when she should have scored, Macario forced a diving save from Catalina Coll, and Lauren James could not quite turn in Sjoeke Nusken’s cutback.
Into the second half and Chelsea were inches from going ahead when Ashley Lawrence, superbly released by James, cut the ball back for Nusken to skim the post.
A few minutes earlier Bonmati had persuaded the Romanian referee to book Buchanan for knocking the ball away after a foul. Now the Canadian went in carelessly on Guijarro, catching her foot. Out came the yellow card, then, after Barca pointed out Buchanan was already booked, the red.
Finally the omnipresent Bonmati, nudged by Jess Carter, fell into Lawrence’s legs in the box. It was unlucky rather than deliberate, but still a penalty.
It was a gripping match and many of the 39,398 will be back. Hayes will not be, this was her last game as manager at the Bridge, but that is her legacy.
