Caroline Graham Hansen scored the decisive goal to help Barcelona Women produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Women’s Champions League. Caroline Graham Hansen, who also scored in the semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to give Barcelona a slim lead in the match, plagued Chelsea once again. Graham Hansen (63) scored the game’s opening goal for the hosts following some outstanding play from Aitana Bonmati. Guro Reiten scored Chelsea’s response to tie the score four minutes later, but despite a valiant effort from the Blues, they were unable to add another and force extra time..
Emma Hayes’ team will now turn its attention back to the WSL championship fight, which they begin next week, and focus on getting ready for an FA Cup final matchup with Manchester United on May 14 at Wembley. Barcelona, the 2021 champions, proceeded to the final on June 3, where they will play either Wolfsburg or Arsenal, whose semifinal matchup is now tied at 2-2. On Monday at the Emirates.
At the Spotify Nou Camp, Chelsea got out to a strong start, but Barcelona eventually found their groove. Early in, the hosts appeared to have the ball in the back of the goal, but it was disallowed for handball. Neither Maren Mjelde nor Magda Eriksson were able to block Frida Rolfo’s left-side cross. Graham Hansen was the recipient, but not before it ran through her arm and into the goal. Barcelona kept up their dominance but ran against a strong Chelsea defense. On the quarter-hour mark, Ann-Katrin Berger was compelled to make a good save. The Blues custodian put up a hand to deflect Bonmati’s wonderful cross away.
Although the first half ended without a shot on goal, Bonmati and Graham Hansen continued to shine, and Asisat Oshoala, who returned, looked threatening through the center. Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr tried to create for their team as Chelsea improved towards the conclusion of the first period, but just as in the first leg, the Blues needed a bit more offense. Although Barcelona did favor the play and finally seized the lead soon after the hour mark, the second half started off evenly balanced. Bonmati was sent down the pitch by Mariona Caldentey’s exquisite touch. As Berger approached, she passed the ball to Graham Hansen to her right, who fired it into the goal after Jess Carter deflected it.
Chelsea equalized after four minutes. Erin Cuthbert committed a foul in midfield to set up the visitors’ break. Kerr, who was inserted by Melanie Leupolz down the left, was attempting to shoot when she was launched into the air by Panos. However, Reiten pounced on the loose ball and drove it home. After some uncertainty over whether the goal would stand, it was confirmed. Both sides kept seeing opportunities. As Lauren James, Kerr, and Reiten each attempted a shot, Berger was compelled to make a delicate fingertip save to prevent Salma Paralluelo from putting Barcelona up a second goal. Chelsea put up a fight until the final horn, but they were unable to win extra time and were eliminated in the semifinals.
“We are dissatisfied. Not many teams that come here are as brave as we were, in my experience. There is no doubt that at the initial stage of the games, you must survive,” Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said. “It’s a really daunting setting, but I believe my guys handled every circumstance, carried out the game plan, and we became more adept at playing. We controlled the second half. I’m sad with the outcome but proud of the players. I’m not annoyed. Due to the home tie, we are not moving on. Nothing about her is involved. I believe we would have won the game if it had lasted a little while longer.”
“When they scored, we had to handle the situation effectively. When we went up 1-0, I felt confident about the game,” Barcelona Women manager Jonatan Giraldez said. “We had a sense of control, but Chelsea took advantage of their opportunity to score just four or five minutes later. Although it was a bad situation, we managed to muster the courage. You constantly have dreams [of winning the Champions League]. But getting there is just the beginning; we also need to succeed.”
For more football news, click here
