Bonmati levelled the tie on aggregate with 25 minutes on the clock thanks to some magical footwork creating the space for a shot that deflected off Kadeisha Buchanan, leaving Hannah Hampton with no chance. But while Barca enjoyed a good spell off the back of that goal, Chelsea had their chances, Catarina Macario testing Cata Coll with a nice volley after Melanie Leupolz hit the bar with a glorious opportunity, albeit one that VAR would’ve come back to and disallowed as Lauren James was offside in the build-up.
It was a well-contested game all set-up for a wonderful second half that would decide the first of this year’s finalists, and then the controversy began. Buchanan was booked for a clear foul on Salma Paralluelo which did not at all divide opinion – but her second yellow just four minutes later did. A tackle on Patri Guijarro was deemed a foul and, crucially, worth another card. The Canadian was in disbelief.
Barca struggled to create anything clear-cut despite the the player advantage, until Bonmati burst into the box and went down under contact from Ashley Lawrence. The defender was adamant it wasn’t a foul, alas it stood after a VAR check and Rolfo was on hand to convert and put the visitors ahead.
Hayes went for it from there, throwing on forwards in search of a goal to take the game to extra-time, but it didn’t come. There will be no fairy tale for Chelsea’s iconic coach in the Champions League and Barca will instead head to Bilbao next month hoping to defend their European title, with Lyon or Paris Saint-Germain to be the opponent.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from Stamford Bridge…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (6/10):
Couldn’t do anything about either goal but stood up to everything else thrown at her. Distribution could’ve been better.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (7/10):
Worked tirelessly up and down the right and was a real livewire when she got to run at the Barca defence.
Jess Carter (7/10):
Did her bit at the back to limit Barca’s chances.
Kadeisha Buchanan (6/10):
Was caught out a couple of times because of some sloppiness but never should have been sent off.
Niamh Charles (6/10):
Stood up well under pressure but was often under too much and needed more help.
Ashley Lawrence (6/10):
Starred in the first leg and tried to be as effective in both boxes again, though found herself lacking options when she got into the final third. Penalty given against her was harsh.
Midfield
Melanie Leupolz (5/10):
Lost the ball too easily and will be breathing a sigh of relief that James was offside in the build-up to her missing a glorious chance.
Erin Cuthbert (8/10):
Came up big in her own box and sprayed the ball around brilliantly to kickstart attacks, too. Well-rounded display.
Sjoeke Nusken (6/10):
Made her fair share of big contributions at the back, most notably a perfect tackle on Bronze in the box. A better pass to James in the first half and Chelsea were ahead again, though.
Attack
Lauren James (8/10):
Everything bright came through her. Held onto the ball brilliantly and often created out of nothing.
Catarina Macario (7/10):
Could’ve kept the ball better at times but generally did well to be part of Chelsea’s dangerous moments. Great volley to test Coll and she delivered good set pieces, too.
Subs & Manager
Guro Reiten (5/10):
Came on after Buchanan’s red card but struggled to get into a frantic, stop-start game.
Aggie Beever-Jones (N/A):
Didn’t see much of the ball in her 15 minutes on the pitch.
Eve Perisset (N/A):
On for the final few minutes.
Millie Bright (N/A):
Sticking the centre-back up front was one of Hayes’ final throws of the dice but it didn’t pay dividends, Chelsea struggling with the numerical disadvantage.
Fran Kirby (N/A):
Came on with Perisset and Bright and also couldn’t impact the game.
Emma Hayes (7/10):
Stuck with the same plan as last week and got more joy out of James on this occasion, too, to make Chelsea more threatening going forward in general. But the red card changed everything and gave her side a mountain to climb. Not much more she could’ve done in the situation.
