3 positives as Chelsea go out of UWCL in spirited draw at Barcelona

On the road having to battle through several major injuries, the Chelsea Women fell short in what will be looked back on as a proud moment for the entire club.

That was Chelsea Football Club. With their backs against the wall in front of over 72,000 people on the road, Emma Hayes’ side showed true grit as they battled the best team in world football to the brink on the biggest stage. Barcelona has not lost a game at home in over four years, and with a one goal lead heading into the second leg, there was little faith the Blues would be able to stand a chance. Before the game, Hayes expressed how much her side is well equipped to suffer, and suffer they did. Despite having not created a single shot attempt in the first half, the belief was still present.

Behind another brilliantly professional defensive display and a gameplan that nearly worked to perfection, the west Londoners were just one Caroline Graham Hanson goal away from forcing the match into extra time. Hayes’ team saw an increase in their pass accuracy by 14 percent compared to the first leg, keeping the ball in a hostile environment much more efficiently than they were able to do at Stamford Bridge.

The Spanish side conceded just their second goal so far this campaign at home in the 67′ as Guro Reiten smashed the ball into the back of the net to give her side a fighting chance in the final 23 minutes. Graham Hanson’s goal just a few minutes prior was enough to lift Jonatan Giraldez’s into their third consecutive European final. The 2021 champions will take on the winners of the Arsenal v Wolfsburg second leg which takes place at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night.

For Hayes’ side, the road in the UEFA Women’s Champions League concludes at Camp Nou, but the future is as bright as it can be. The west Londoners drew the toughest group to begin this European campaign and then were given a path that included the last two winners of this competition in order book a place in the final. With an injury list that includes Fran Kirby, Millie Bright, Kadeisha Buchanan, the west London side still managed to compete right beside the two juggernauts of European women’s football.

Even with the Champions League trophy out of contention, the Blues still have a Women’s Super League title to win and an FA Cup final against Manchester United in the middle of May. One year ago, this club was months removed from European football, falling short all the way back in the group stage. This is a campaign that sets the stage for a battle tested side to come firing out of the gate next fall. While this is without question a disappointment for Hayes and her team, there are so many positives that this club can point to as they travel back to England to resume domestic play.

3 positives for Chelsea from the draw at the Camp Nou on Thursday evening.

1. This team showed incredible character right to the end

From the beginning, the gameplan that the coaching staff has constructed was clear. Keep Barcelona off the scoresheet for as long as possible, and then hit them with everything offensively in an attempt to extend the game past the 90th minute. This team knows how to weather the storm, and in the first half, they did an extraordinary job of that. The world’s most talented attack did not force Ann-Katrin Berger into a single save in the first 45 minutes.

None of the outside noise bothered them. Everyone in white and powder blue stuck to the plan that Hayes had concocted. When Graham Hanson slid her right-footed shot between the legs of Berger, it was quite clear the club’s spirit would drain. Similar to the quarterfinal against the defending European champions, the Blues kept their heads up.

Magdalena Eriksson, with the ball in her hands huddled everyone up right after the goal from the home side. Eriksson’s words, whatever they may have been, motivated her team keep fighting. Four minutes later, the match was tied. The hustle by Erin Cuthbert and vision by Melanie Leupolz set it all up as Reiten was in the right place at the right time to score the club’s first-ever goal against the Spanish powerhouse.

Going into an opponents stadium, specifically Barca’s is not the most simple of tasks. The west Londoners came in with a plan, and when that plan faltered, the players on the pitch did not. In the history books, this will go down as a defeat on aggregate, but to Hayes and her team, it was a proud moment that has the potential to prepare them for future Champions League runs.

2. Guro Reiten never shies away from the bright lights

Chelsea Women’s No. 11 plays with the type of swagger every coach wants to see in their player. She does not care who the opponent is. The Norwegian superstar Guro Reiten simple wants to compete. You can see it in her eyes when she found the back of the net. This is where she wants to be, and this is the club where she wants to do it.

In her 10th start in the Champions League this season for west London outfit, Reiten collected her sixth goal involvement, which is the most on the team. When the spotlight is present, the Norwegian international has shown her ability to take her game to the next level. Against the two powerhouses of the women’s game, Reiten has found a way to beat the goalkeeper. One with her left-foot, and the other with her right. The 28-year-old can do it all, and then some. For the most part throughout this season, the Norwegian has been required to be the main distributor, but in big games like these, CFC’s No. 11 has been the one with the finishing touch.

The left-winger signed an extension with the club back in August for another three years. This is a clear indication that she is the key for this club going forward to achieving success in Europe, and the fact that she is staying around even longer is a massive win. The sky is the limit for a player that just came onto the scene for real in west London last season. Through all the injuries to the club’s key assets, Reiten has been the steady force on the left side of the frontline. If she was not already the club’s Player of the Season, this goal at Camp Nou has assured her the award with a few weeks left in the campaign.

3. The Blues are knocking on the door to a UWCL title in the future

In two out of the past three years, Hayes’ team has found their way to the Champions League semifinals. To be able to bounce back in the fashion that they did following the elimination in December of 2021 tells a whole lot about the kind of culture that this world-class manager has created. Not once did they back down from a fight. There are only nine clubs in the history of this competition to either win a title or appear in two or more finals. The Blues had to play three of them in order to be 90 minutes away from the club’s first European club.

Even with the tallest mountain to climb out of any of the major contenders, the west Londoners still found themselves just an offside call away from playing an extra 30 minutes at the Camp Nou to book their place to the final. Two years ago, the Blues look out of place, letting in a goal in the first minute of play against Barcelona in the Champions League final.

The growth of everyone at the club, from the coaching staff to the players is simply remarkable. It takes time, especially in a competition with such quality teams each season to earn a place at the top. Right now, it is not time for the west London side. Soon, it may be, and with the kind of experience that this club took on from the group stage all the way to Camp Nou, they will be well-prepared for whatever the competition throws at them next time around.