UWCL: Holders Barcelona beat Chelsea to reach Champions League final

Holders Barcelona battled their way into the women's Champions League final, defeating Emma Hayes' 10-woman Chelsea 2-0 in the second leg at a sold-out Stamford Bridge on Saturday after trailing 1-0 in the first leg.

It was the second year in a row that Barcelona defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the semi-finals, dealing a blow to Chelsea coach Hayes, who is leaving to manage the United States national team after 14 years in charge.

The match also sparked controversy over what Hayes and some commentators saw as an unjust red card for Canadian Kadeisha Buchanan, which shifted the momentum of the game.

Hayes' highly successful team have never won the Champions League, reaching the final only once, in 2021, when they were thrashed 4-0 by Barcelona.

The Catalans, who had won the title twice in the previous three years, took the lead in the 26th minute when Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati found space on the edge of the box and sidestepped Niamh Charles. Her shot took a deflection off Buchanan and into the net.

The goal came after the visitors applied sustained pressure at a high tempo, cancelling out Erin Cuthbert's strike in Barcelona a week earlier.

"A little bit lucky but sometimes you have to shoot in the box and you never know," Bonmati told DAZN.

With her goal, Bonmati became Barcelona's joint all-time top scorer in the Women's Champions League, alongside Alexia Putellas, who has 21 goals. It was her fifth in ten European games.

Chelsea, who had sold out Stamford Bridge for the first time in a women's game, responded immediately, pushing forward and creating opportunities for Lauren James and Catarina Macario.

In the 57th minute, Chelsea's Sjoeke Nuksen hit the post.

However, as rain fell in southwest London, Buchanan was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a challenge on Salma Paralluelo.

Hayes was enraged by the decision, which she deemed incorrect because Buchanan had gotten to the ball, and claimed it destroyed her team's chances of winning.

She said she could tell the momentum had shifted in Chelsea's favour after hitting the post, but the opportunity was cruelly snatched away.

"We didn't lose it. It was taken away from us," she told reporters.

"The officials have made an outrageous decision," she added. "When you work so hard, it is really, really hard to take."

Fridolina Rolfo finally dashed Chelsea's hopes when she scored a penalty in the 74th minute after Ashley Lawrence was adjudged to have fouled Bonmati.

"It’s amazing, another final," Bonmati said as her team mates danced and sang in the rain in front of the travelling fans. "It wasn’t easy because we had a tough team in front of us. We had to sweat our T-shirts to achieve it. I’m proud of my team and let’s go in for another final."

Barcelona will face either Olympique Lyonnais or Paris St Germain, who play their semi-final on Sunday, in the final in Bilbao on May 25.

Chelsea now have only one chance to win a trophy. They hope to retain their Super League title, but are three points behind Manchester City with a game in hand.

They lost the League Cup final to Arsenal last month, followed by an FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United.

SportsLigue