A victorious Barcelona celebrated a critical win over Chelsea in Spain on Sunday 20 April, after the first leg of the two-way semifinal tie ended in a 4-1 win for the Spanish side.
Chelsea took the pitch against Barcelona in an Estadi Johann Cruyff packed with red-and-blue-clad Barcelona fans and aglare with sunlight, to play out the first of two semifinal ties against the powerhouse European club. Barcelona's starting eleven boasted their familiar collection of award-winning internationals, including Bonmati, Putellas, Paralluelo, Graham Hansen, and Ewa Pajor.
Chelsea's starting lineup included attacking standouts Mayra Ramirez and Aggie Beever-Jones and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd at the front, plus the two key players acquired from Barcelona, Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze, in the lineup as well, with other goal-scoring players like Macario, Hamano, and the recently returned Guro Reiten on the bench.
The first half showcased Barcelona's undeniable ability, as the Spanish club drove against the Chelsea goal multiple times. The sun was in Chelsea keeper Hannah Hampton's eyes for the entirety of the first half and Barca took full advantage, popping balls up high and pressing hard. However, Chelsea fought doggedly to keep the Blaugranes out and did not appear overawed by Barcelona's dominance, although they were unable to completely match it.
A tussle in the Chelsea box resulted in a VAR check and the eventual award of a penalty kick to Barcelona, after a ball just grazed defender Natalie Bjorn's outstretched hand. Alexia Putellas readied herself for the shot and the moment seemed bleak for Chelsea, as Putellas had already scored four penalties this year.
But Hampton, despite the sun (and the sudden arrival of a pigeon just to the side of the goal) read the kick correctly and was able to stop what turned out to be an unimpressive effort from the Spanish superstar. This success gave heart to a Chelsea side that really needed to move out of a defensive stance and try some attacking of their own.
However, as the first half progressed, it became more and more obvious that while Chelsea was battling hard, Barcelona were the dominant side. Chelsea was rarely able to connect with their center forward, Ramirez, and spent most of the half trying to counter the Barcelona attack versus attacking on their own behalf.
Players like Cuthbert and Baltimore, who both excel at turning defensive recoveries into dangerous attacks, were kept occupied on the Chelsea half of the field. Even with excellent moments like the spectacular save made by Hannah Hampton in the 28th minute, as she almost magically pulled a high-dropping ball out of the sky, and took an apparent knock in the progress, it seemed that Barcelona's persistence was due a goal.
And so it was to be. After a multi-player tumble involving Lucy Bronze and a flying Salma Paralluelo, Chelsea paused for a split second, enough for Ewa Pajor to continue her drive forward and sprint toward the Blues goals. Bright and Bjorn were left yards behind her as she charged, leaving only Hannah Hampton to protect the goal.
Hampton came out and did her best, but Pajor sent it deftly past her into the lower left hand corner. The approximately 6000-strong crowd in the stadium responded with cheers and songs, and the score stood at 1-0, where it remained until the whistle blew for halftime.
During the opening fifteen minutes of the second half, Barcelona remained in control and Chelsea simply could not get the ball out of their own half with any consistency. Chelsea's work rate was high, but they were unable to progess. And then disaster struck, just before the 70th minute: the newly subbed in Claudia Pina, who came in for Graham Hansen, picked up a beautifully sliced cross that was the result of a long, powerful run by Barcelona's right back, Batlle. Now Chelsea had a two-point deficit, and Blues fans had to be asking themselves if this was the end of Chelsea's hopes.
But Sandy Baltimore had determined otherwise. Chelsea, rather than folding, continued their efforts against the Spanish juggernaut, and a bare four minutes later, the recently subbed in Macario scooped the ball across the face of goal, allowing Baltimore, coming in on the left side, to send a beautiful left-footed shot into the far corner of the net. Jubilation reigned among the 200-odd traveling fans in blue seated in a corner of the stadium, and the outcome suddenly seemed less of a foregone conclusion.
Barcelona appeared to regard this development with outrage, as their intensity redoubled. Just after the 80th minute, the Blaugranes restored the two-point gap off a Paredes header during a set piece. Roars of delight erupted from the crowds and corresponding triumph lit the face of the Barcelona players. The subsequent minutes of play were frantic and decidedly aggressive, reflecting the newly born rivalry and growing animosity between these two sides.
Chelsea appeared unwilling to give up, but unable to assemble a coherent attack. Barcelona, however, looked confident and dangerous, as the seconds ticked down. And that confidence paid off, with a jaunty back-heel flick from Putellas setting up the ball for Claudia Pina, who sneaked a shot into the goal off a tiny deflection in the last minute of full-time play.
The five final minutes of stoppage time saw continued effort from both teams, with no additional goals for Barcelona, but no joy for Chelsea. The game ended with a score of 4-1 and an extremely difficult path toward the final for a deeply disappointed Chelsea side.
What can Chelsea take away from this? Viewers will have seen some shining shot-stopping from Hannah Hampton, and brave efforts to disrupt and create from players like Sandy Baltimore and Erin Cuthbert. But there was overall a lack of organization in the Blues that contributed to their playing second fiddle to a much more impactful Barca side.
While it's impossible to see inside the locker room and the minds of the manager and the players, Lucy Bronze's suggested post-match that she felt Chelsea played the game Barcelona wanted to play, not the style and attack they themselves prefer. In the intervening week, Sonia Bompastor will undoubtedly be encouraging her team to learn as much as possible from this painful stumble.
And Bronze urged Chelsea's followers to show up strongly for the second leg. "We just need the fans ... [against Manchester City] the fans really pushed us on.... We've got way more goals in this team than what we showed tonight," she told an interviewer.
The second leg of this two-way tie will take place on 27 April at a sold-out Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea will have the chance to pull off a miracle win, and Barcelona will try to deflect their attempts and retain their lead, with their eyes on the final in Lisbon next month.