Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPAView image in fullscreenIrene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPAWomen’s Champions LeaguePina inspires Barcelona to emphatic WCL first-leg win against ChelseaTom Garryat the Estadi Johan CruyffSun 20 Apr 2025 20.32 CESTLast modified on Sun 20 Apr 2025 22.53 CESTShareSonia Bompastor accepted that her Chelsea team had been simply “not good enough” after they were taught a lesson by a technically superior Barcelona side who nowhold a commanding positionin their Women’s Champions League semi-final.Chelsea were beaten for only the second time in all competitions since Bompastor took over last summer but in sunny Catalonia they were outclassed by the strongest team they have faced in her tenure so far.Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more“Barcelona is maybe the best team in Europe,” Bompastor said. “I think when the result was 2-1 we were not in a bad situation, but the last 10 minutes were not good enough. As a team we made too many mistakes tonight to have a better result. The version we showed tonight was not good enough.“When you play Barcelona, you just need to be brave on the ball, being able to hold the ball under pressure, and being able also in the physical aspects to win your duels, and just sometimes in your football brain to be smarter, to anticipate things. I think we played with too many reactions, instead of being proactive in the game.”Chelsea are trying to reach the European final for only the second time and could still win a quadruple of major trophies this term in Bompastor’s first season in charge, but they will now need an unlikely looking comeback and the performance of their lives if they are to have any chance of overturning this deficit in London.The scoreline could have been worse for Chelsea but for Hannah Hampton’s early penalty save, at a time when the tie was level at 0-0, when the former Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was denied from the spot. That kept the home side at bay but not for long, with Putellas classily slipping a through ball into the path of Ewa Pajor for the Poland striker to open the scoring.Chelsea improved defensively after the break but were undone by a masterful team goal as Barcelona made it 2-0 with a move that involved 18 passes before Clàudia Pina turned in from inside the six-yard box. Pina herself had played the 13th pass of Barcelona’s flowing move from deep inside her own half before sprinting upfield to turn home the cross.View image in fullscreenChelsea’s Keira Walsh and Sjoeke Nüsken show their disappointment after Barcelona’s fourth goal.Photograph: Albert Gea/ReutersSandy Baltimore’s crisp strike into the far corner with 16 minutes remaining offered Bompastor’s team a glimmer of hope to bring the scoreline back to 2-1, but a far-post header from an unmarked Irene Paredes restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage soon after. Pina then struck again from close range in the 90th minute to severely hamper Chelsea’s hopes for the second leg, and make the hosts’ advantage on the scoreboard more accurately reflect their dominance.Quick GuideWSL roundup: Holmgaards combine to hit City’s Champions League hopesShowManchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom GarryPhotograph: Nigel French/PAWas this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Caroline Graham Hansen, who had been a doubt for this first leg after missing Barcelona’s training session on Saturday because of illness, was named among the starting side and the Norway winger began the game impressively, giving the Chelsea left-back Baltimore plenty to think about in the early stages. A shot by Graham Hansen was deflected wide, after the hosts’ holding midfielder Patricia Guijarro had seen a low effort deflected into the arms of Hampton, while Chelsea struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to mount many meaningful attacks in the opening exchanges.skip past newsletter promotionSign up toMoving the GoalpostsFree weekly newsletterNo topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s footballEnter your email addressSign upPrivacy Notice:Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see ourPrivacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.after newsletter promotionBarcelona’s early pressure eventually led to a penalty when Nathalie Björn handled Paredes’s header and the Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsár correctly awarded the spot-kick after consulting the screen following a VAR check. Putellas opted to send her strike straight down the middle and the England goalkeeper Hampton, who had dived slightly to Putellas’s right, made the save comfortably with her feet.That proved to be one of the only moments of celebration for the travelling Chelsea fans and ultimately this was a game which highlighted Barcelona’s superior skill as they appear to be on course to knock Chelsea out at the semi-final stage of this competition for the third successive season.Bompastor refused to concede the tie, though, trying to hold on to some hope for a return-leg comeback: “It will be difficult but, in football, you need to believe. We want to go into the second leg trying to win the game and, in football, anything can happen.” The defender Lucy Bronze told TNT Sports: “I think we can do it.”Barcelona are aiming to reach their fifth consecutive final and lift the European title for the fourth time in those five seasons, having started their current run of dominance in this competition with a 4-0 win against Chelsea – who have never won this title – in the 2021 final in Gothenburg, Sweden.This first-leg meeting was similarly one-sided to that showdown four years ago. But Paredes was urging caution when telling the Catalan television channel TV3: “It’s not done. We are happy with how we played, but we have to go there [Stamford Bridge] and play well as well.”Explore more on these topicsWomen’s Champions LeagueBarcelona WomenChelsea WomenWomen’s footballmatch reportsShareReuse this content
Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPAView image in fullscreenIrene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPAWomen’s Champions LeaguePina inspires Barcelona to emphatic WCL first-leg win against ChelseaTom Garryat the Estadi Johan CruyffSun 20 Apr 2025 20.32 CESTLast modified on Sun 20 Apr 2025 22.53 CESTShareSonia Bompastor accepted that her Chelsea team had been simply “not good enough” after they were taught a lesson by a technically superior Barcelona side who nowhold a commanding positionin their Women’s Champions League semi-final.Chelsea were beaten for only the second time in all competitions since Bompastor took over last summer but in sunny Catalonia they were outclassed by the strongest team they have faced in her tenure so far.Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more“Barcelona is maybe the best team in Europe,” Bompastor said. “I think when the result was 2-1 we were not in a bad situation, but the last 10 minutes were not good enough. As a team we made too many mistakes tonight to have a better result. The version we showed tonight was not good enough.“When you play Barcelona, you just need to be brave on the ball, being able to hold the ball under pressure, and being able also in the physical aspects to win your duels, and just sometimes in your football brain to be smarter, to anticipate things. I think we played with too many reactions, instead of being proactive in the game.”Chelsea are trying to reach the European final for only the second time and could still win a quadruple of major trophies this term in Bompastor’s first season in charge, but they will now need an unlikely looking comeback and the performance of their lives if they are to have any chance of overturning this deficit in London.The scoreline could have been worse for Chelsea but for Hannah Hampton’s early penalty save, at a time when the tie was level at 0-0, when the former Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was denied from the spot. That kept the home side at bay but not for long, with Putellas classily slipping a through ball into the path of Ewa Pajor for the Poland striker to open the scoring.Chelsea improved defensively after the break but were undone by a masterful team goal as Barcelona made it 2-0 with a move that involved 18 passes before Clàudia Pina turned in from inside the six-yard box. Pina herself had played the 13th pass of Barcelona’s flowing move from deep inside her own half before sprinting upfield to turn home the cross.View image in fullscreenChelsea’s Keira Walsh and Sjoeke Nüsken show their disappointment after Barcelona’s fourth goal.Photograph: Albert Gea/ReutersSandy Baltimore’s crisp strike into the far corner with 16 minutes remaining offered Bompastor’s team a glimmer of hope to bring the scoreline back to 2-1, but a far-post header from an unmarked Irene Paredes restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage soon after. Pina then struck again from close range in the 90th minute to severely hamper Chelsea’s hopes for the second leg, and make the hosts’ advantage on the scoreboard more accurately reflect their dominance.Quick GuideWSL roundup: Holmgaards combine to hit City’s Champions League hopesShowManchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom GarryPhotograph: Nigel French/PAWas this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Caroline Graham Hansen, who had been a doubt for this first leg after missing Barcelona’s training session on Saturday because of illness, was named among the starting side and the Norway winger began the game impressively, giving the Chelsea left-back Baltimore plenty to think about in the early stages. A shot by Graham Hansen was deflected wide, after the hosts’ holding midfielder Patricia Guijarro had seen a low effort deflected into the arms of Hampton, while Chelsea struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to mount many meaningful attacks in the opening exchanges.skip past newsletter promotionSign up toMoving the GoalpostsFree weekly newsletterNo topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s footballEnter your email addressSign upPrivacy Notice:Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see ourPrivacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.after newsletter promotionBarcelona’s early pressure eventually led to a penalty when Nathalie Björn handled Paredes’s header and the Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsár correctly awarded the spot-kick after consulting the screen following a VAR check. Putellas opted to send her strike straight down the middle and the England goalkeeper Hampton, who had dived slightly to Putellas’s right, made the save comfortably with her feet.That proved to be one of the only moments of celebration for the travelling Chelsea fans and ultimately this was a game which highlighted Barcelona’s superior skill as they appear to be on course to knock Chelsea out at the semi-final stage of this competition for the third successive season.Bompastor refused to concede the tie, though, trying to hold on to some hope for a return-leg comeback: “It will be difficult but, in football, you need to believe. We want to go into the second leg trying to win the game and, in football, anything can happen.” The defender Lucy Bronze told TNT Sports: “I think we can do it.”Barcelona are aiming to reach their fifth consecutive final and lift the European title for the fourth time in those five seasons, having started their current run of dominance in this competition with a 4-0 win against Chelsea – who have never won this title – in the 2021 final in Gothenburg, Sweden.This first-leg meeting was similarly one-sided to that showdown four years ago. But Paredes was urging caution when telling the Catalan television channel TV3: “It’s not done. We are happy with how we played, but we have to go there [Stamford Bridge] and play well as well.”Explore more on these topicsWomen’s Champions LeagueBarcelona WomenChelsea WomenWomen’s footballmatch reportsShareReuse this content
Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPAView image in fullscreenIrene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA
Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPAView image in fullscreenIrene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA
Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPAView image in fullscreenIrene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA
Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPAView image in fullscreen
Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA
Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA
Irene Paredes (second right) celebrates with her teammates after scoring Barcelona’s third goal.Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA
Women’s Champions League
Women’s Champions League
Pina inspires Barcelona to emphatic WCL first-leg win against Chelsea
Pina inspires Barcelona to emphatic WCL first-leg win against Chelsea
Pina inspires Barcelona to emphatic WCL first-leg win against Chelsea
Tom Garryat the Estadi Johan CruyffSun 20 Apr 2025 20.32 CESTLast modified on Sun 20 Apr 2025 22.53 CESTShare
Tom Garryat the Estadi Johan CruyffSun 20 Apr 2025 20.32 CESTLast modified on Sun 20 Apr 2025 22.53 CESTShare
Tom Garryat the Estadi Johan CruyffSun 20 Apr 2025 20.32 CESTLast modified on Sun 20 Apr 2025 22.53 CESTShare
Tom Garryat the Estadi Johan CruyffSun 20 Apr 2025 20.32 CESTLast modified on Sun 20 Apr 2025 22.53 CEST
Tom Garryat the Estadi Johan CruyffSun 20 Apr 2025 20.32 CESTLast modified on Sun 20 Apr 2025 22.53 CEST
Tom Garryat the Estadi Johan Cruyff
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Sonia Bompastor accepted that her Chelsea team had been simply “not good enough” after they were taught a lesson by a technically superior Barcelona side who nowhold a commanding positionin their Women’s Champions League semi-final.Chelsea were beaten for only the second time in all competitions since Bompastor took over last summer but in sunny Catalonia they were outclassed by the strongest team they have faced in her tenure so far.Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more“Barcelona is maybe the best team in Europe,” Bompastor said. “I think when the result was 2-1 we were not in a bad situation, but the last 10 minutes were not good enough. As a team we made too many mistakes tonight to have a better result. The version we showed tonight was not good enough.“When you play Barcelona, you just need to be brave on the ball, being able to hold the ball under pressure, and being able also in the physical aspects to win your duels, and just sometimes in your football brain to be smarter, to anticipate things. I think we played with too many reactions, instead of being proactive in the game.”Chelsea are trying to reach the European final for only the second time and could still win a quadruple of major trophies this term in Bompastor’s first season in charge, but they will now need an unlikely looking comeback and the performance of their lives if they are to have any chance of overturning this deficit in London.The scoreline could have been worse for Chelsea but for Hannah Hampton’s early penalty save, at a time when the tie was level at 0-0, when the former Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was denied from the spot. That kept the home side at bay but not for long, with Putellas classily slipping a through ball into the path of Ewa Pajor for the Poland striker to open the scoring.Chelsea improved defensively after the break but were undone by a masterful team goal as Barcelona made it 2-0 with a move that involved 18 passes before Clàudia Pina turned in from inside the six-yard box. Pina herself had played the 13th pass of Barcelona’s flowing move from deep inside her own half before sprinting upfield to turn home the cross.View image in fullscreenChelsea’s Keira Walsh and Sjoeke Nüsken show their disappointment after Barcelona’s fourth goal.Photograph: Albert Gea/ReutersSandy Baltimore’s crisp strike into the far corner with 16 minutes remaining offered Bompastor’s team a glimmer of hope to bring the scoreline back to 2-1, but a far-post header from an unmarked Irene Paredes restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage soon after. Pina then struck again from close range in the 90th minute to severely hamper Chelsea’s hopes for the second leg, and make the hosts’ advantage on the scoreboard more accurately reflect their dominance.Quick GuideWSL roundup: Holmgaards combine to hit City’s Champions League hopesShowManchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom GarryPhotograph: Nigel French/PAWas this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Caroline Graham Hansen, who had been a doubt for this first leg after missing Barcelona’s training session on Saturday because of illness, was named among the starting side and the Norway winger began the game impressively, giving the Chelsea left-back Baltimore plenty to think about in the early stages. A shot by Graham Hansen was deflected wide, after the hosts’ holding midfielder Patricia Guijarro had seen a low effort deflected into the arms of Hampton, while Chelsea struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to mount many meaningful attacks in the opening exchanges.skip past newsletter promotionSign up toMoving the GoalpostsFree weekly newsletterNo topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s footballEnter your email addressSign upPrivacy Notice:Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see ourPrivacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.after newsletter promotionBarcelona’s early pressure eventually led to a penalty when Nathalie Björn handled Paredes’s header and the Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsár correctly awarded the spot-kick after consulting the screen following a VAR check. Putellas opted to send her strike straight down the middle and the England goalkeeper Hampton, who had dived slightly to Putellas’s right, made the save comfortably with her feet.That proved to be one of the only moments of celebration for the travelling Chelsea fans and ultimately this was a game which highlighted Barcelona’s superior skill as they appear to be on course to knock Chelsea out at the semi-final stage of this competition for the third successive season.Bompastor refused to concede the tie, though, trying to hold on to some hope for a return-leg comeback: “It will be difficult but, in football, you need to believe. We want to go into the second leg trying to win the game and, in football, anything can happen.” The defender Lucy Bronze told TNT Sports: “I think we can do it.”Barcelona are aiming to reach their fifth consecutive final and lift the European title for the fourth time in those five seasons, having started their current run of dominance in this competition with a 4-0 win against Chelsea – who have never won this title – in the 2021 final in Gothenburg, Sweden.This first-leg meeting was similarly one-sided to that showdown four years ago. But Paredes was urging caution when telling the Catalan television channel TV3: “It’s not done. We are happy with how we played, but we have to go there [Stamford Bridge] and play well as well.”Explore more on these topicsWomen’s Champions LeagueBarcelona WomenChelsea WomenWomen’s footballmatch reportsShareReuse this content
Sonia Bompastor accepted that her Chelsea team had been simply “not good enough” after they were taught a lesson by a technically superior Barcelona side who nowhold a commanding positionin their Women’s Champions League semi-final.Chelsea were beaten for only the second time in all competitions since Bompastor took over last summer but in sunny Catalonia they were outclassed by the strongest team they have faced in her tenure so far.Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more“Barcelona is maybe the best team in Europe,” Bompastor said. “I think when the result was 2-1 we were not in a bad situation, but the last 10 minutes were not good enough. As a team we made too many mistakes tonight to have a better result. The version we showed tonight was not good enough.“When you play Barcelona, you just need to be brave on the ball, being able to hold the ball under pressure, and being able also in the physical aspects to win your duels, and just sometimes in your football brain to be smarter, to anticipate things. I think we played with too many reactions, instead of being proactive in the game.”Chelsea are trying to reach the European final for only the second time and could still win a quadruple of major trophies this term in Bompastor’s first season in charge, but they will now need an unlikely looking comeback and the performance of their lives if they are to have any chance of overturning this deficit in London.The scoreline could have been worse for Chelsea but for Hannah Hampton’s early penalty save, at a time when the tie was level at 0-0, when the former Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was denied from the spot. That kept the home side at bay but not for long, with Putellas classily slipping a through ball into the path of Ewa Pajor for the Poland striker to open the scoring.Chelsea improved defensively after the break but were undone by a masterful team goal as Barcelona made it 2-0 with a move that involved 18 passes before Clàudia Pina turned in from inside the six-yard box. Pina herself had played the 13th pass of Barcelona’s flowing move from deep inside her own half before sprinting upfield to turn home the cross.View image in fullscreenChelsea’s Keira Walsh and Sjoeke Nüsken show their disappointment after Barcelona’s fourth goal.Photograph: Albert Gea/ReutersSandy Baltimore’s crisp strike into the far corner with 16 minutes remaining offered Bompastor’s team a glimmer of hope to bring the scoreline back to 2-1, but a far-post header from an unmarked Irene Paredes restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage soon after. Pina then struck again from close range in the 90th minute to severely hamper Chelsea’s hopes for the second leg, and make the hosts’ advantage on the scoreboard more accurately reflect their dominance.Quick GuideWSL roundup: Holmgaards combine to hit City’s Champions League hopesShowManchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom GarryPhotograph: Nigel French/PAWas this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Caroline Graham Hansen, who had been a doubt for this first leg after missing Barcelona’s training session on Saturday because of illness, was named among the starting side and the Norway winger began the game impressively, giving the Chelsea left-back Baltimore plenty to think about in the early stages. A shot by Graham Hansen was deflected wide, after the hosts’ holding midfielder Patricia Guijarro had seen a low effort deflected into the arms of Hampton, while Chelsea struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to mount many meaningful attacks in the opening exchanges.skip past newsletter promotionSign up toMoving the GoalpostsFree weekly newsletterNo topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s footballEnter your email addressSign upPrivacy Notice:Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see ourPrivacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.after newsletter promotionBarcelona’s early pressure eventually led to a penalty when Nathalie Björn handled Paredes’s header and the Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsár correctly awarded the spot-kick after consulting the screen following a VAR check. Putellas opted to send her strike straight down the middle and the England goalkeeper Hampton, who had dived slightly to Putellas’s right, made the save comfortably with her feet.That proved to be one of the only moments of celebration for the travelling Chelsea fans and ultimately this was a game which highlighted Barcelona’s superior skill as they appear to be on course to knock Chelsea out at the semi-final stage of this competition for the third successive season.Bompastor refused to concede the tie, though, trying to hold on to some hope for a return-leg comeback: “It will be difficult but, in football, you need to believe. We want to go into the second leg trying to win the game and, in football, anything can happen.” The defender Lucy Bronze told TNT Sports: “I think we can do it.”Barcelona are aiming to reach their fifth consecutive final and lift the European title for the fourth time in those five seasons, having started their current run of dominance in this competition with a 4-0 win against Chelsea – who have never won this title – in the 2021 final in Gothenburg, Sweden.This first-leg meeting was similarly one-sided to that showdown four years ago. But Paredes was urging caution when telling the Catalan television channel TV3: “It’s not done. We are happy with how we played, but we have to go there [Stamford Bridge] and play well as well.”Explore more on these topicsWomen’s Champions LeagueBarcelona WomenChelsea WomenWomen’s footballmatch reportsShareReuse this content
Sonia Bompastor accepted that her Chelsea team had been simply “not good enough” after they were taught a lesson by a technically superior Barcelona side who nowhold a commanding positionin their Women’s Champions League semi-final.Chelsea were beaten for only the second time in all competitions since Bompastor took over last summer but in sunny Catalonia they were outclassed by the strongest team they have faced in her tenure so far.Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more“Barcelona is maybe the best team in Europe,” Bompastor said. “I think when the result was 2-1 we were not in a bad situation, but the last 10 minutes were not good enough. As a team we made too many mistakes tonight to have a better result. The version we showed tonight was not good enough.“When you play Barcelona, you just need to be brave on the ball, being able to hold the ball under pressure, and being able also in the physical aspects to win your duels, and just sometimes in your football brain to be smarter, to anticipate things. I think we played with too many reactions, instead of being proactive in the game.”Chelsea are trying to reach the European final for only the second time and could still win a quadruple of major trophies this term in Bompastor’s first season in charge, but they will now need an unlikely looking comeback and the performance of their lives if they are to have any chance of overturning this deficit in London.The scoreline could have been worse for Chelsea but for Hannah Hampton’s early penalty save, at a time when the tie was level at 0-0, when the former Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was denied from the spot. That kept the home side at bay but not for long, with Putellas classily slipping a through ball into the path of Ewa Pajor for the Poland striker to open the scoring.Chelsea improved defensively after the break but were undone by a masterful team goal as Barcelona made it 2-0 with a move that involved 18 passes before Clàudia Pina turned in from inside the six-yard box. Pina herself had played the 13th pass of Barcelona’s flowing move from deep inside her own half before sprinting upfield to turn home the cross.View image in fullscreenChelsea’s Keira Walsh and Sjoeke Nüsken show their disappointment after Barcelona’s fourth goal.Photograph: Albert Gea/ReutersSandy Baltimore’s crisp strike into the far corner with 16 minutes remaining offered Bompastor’s team a glimmer of hope to bring the scoreline back to 2-1, but a far-post header from an unmarked Irene Paredes restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage soon after. Pina then struck again from close range in the 90th minute to severely hamper Chelsea’s hopes for the second leg, and make the hosts’ advantage on the scoreboard more accurately reflect their dominance.Quick GuideWSL roundup: Holmgaards combine to hit City’s Champions League hopesShowManchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom GarryPhotograph: Nigel French/PAWas this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Caroline Graham Hansen, who had been a doubt for this first leg after missing Barcelona’s training session on Saturday because of illness, was named among the starting side and the Norway winger began the game impressively, giving the Chelsea left-back Baltimore plenty to think about in the early stages. A shot by Graham Hansen was deflected wide, after the hosts’ holding midfielder Patricia Guijarro had seen a low effort deflected into the arms of Hampton, while Chelsea struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to mount many meaningful attacks in the opening exchanges.skip past newsletter promotionSign up toMoving the GoalpostsFree weekly newsletterNo topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s footballEnter your email addressSign upPrivacy Notice:Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see ourPrivacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.after newsletter promotionBarcelona’s early pressure eventually led to a penalty when Nathalie Björn handled Paredes’s header and the Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsár correctly awarded the spot-kick after consulting the screen following a VAR check. Putellas opted to send her strike straight down the middle and the England goalkeeper Hampton, who had dived slightly to Putellas’s right, made the save comfortably with her feet.That proved to be one of the only moments of celebration for the travelling Chelsea fans and ultimately this was a game which highlighted Barcelona’s superior skill as they appear to be on course to knock Chelsea out at the semi-final stage of this competition for the third successive season.Bompastor refused to concede the tie, though, trying to hold on to some hope for a return-leg comeback: “It will be difficult but, in football, you need to believe. We want to go into the second leg trying to win the game and, in football, anything can happen.” The defender Lucy Bronze told TNT Sports: “I think we can do it.”Barcelona are aiming to reach their fifth consecutive final and lift the European title for the fourth time in those five seasons, having started their current run of dominance in this competition with a 4-0 win against Chelsea – who have never won this title – in the 2021 final in Gothenburg, Sweden.This first-leg meeting was similarly one-sided to that showdown four years ago. But Paredes was urging caution when telling the Catalan television channel TV3: “It’s not done. We are happy with how we played, but we have to go there [Stamford Bridge] and play well as well.”
Sonia Bompastor accepted that her Chelsea team had been simply “not good enough” after they were taught a lesson by a technically superior Barcelona side who nowhold a commanding positionin their Women’s Champions League semi-final.Chelsea were beaten for only the second time in all competitions since Bompastor took over last summer but in sunny Catalonia they were outclassed by the strongest team they have faced in her tenure so far.Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more“Barcelona is maybe the best team in Europe,” Bompastor said. “I think when the result was 2-1 we were not in a bad situation, but the last 10 minutes were not good enough. As a team we made too many mistakes tonight to have a better result. The version we showed tonight was not good enough.“When you play Barcelona, you just need to be brave on the ball, being able to hold the ball under pressure, and being able also in the physical aspects to win your duels, and just sometimes in your football brain to be smarter, to anticipate things. I think we played with too many reactions, instead of being proactive in the game.”Chelsea are trying to reach the European final for only the second time and could still win a quadruple of major trophies this term in Bompastor’s first season in charge, but they will now need an unlikely looking comeback and the performance of their lives if they are to have any chance of overturning this deficit in London.The scoreline could have been worse for Chelsea but for Hannah Hampton’s early penalty save, at a time when the tie was level at 0-0, when the former Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was denied from the spot. That kept the home side at bay but not for long, with Putellas classily slipping a through ball into the path of Ewa Pajor for the Poland striker to open the scoring.Chelsea improved defensively after the break but were undone by a masterful team goal as Barcelona made it 2-0 with a move that involved 18 passes before Clàudia Pina turned in from inside the six-yard box. Pina herself had played the 13th pass of Barcelona’s flowing move from deep inside her own half before sprinting upfield to turn home the cross.View image in fullscreenChelsea’s Keira Walsh and Sjoeke Nüsken show their disappointment after Barcelona’s fourth goal.Photograph: Albert Gea/ReutersSandy Baltimore’s crisp strike into the far corner with 16 minutes remaining offered Bompastor’s team a glimmer of hope to bring the scoreline back to 2-1, but a far-post header from an unmarked Irene Paredes restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage soon after. Pina then struck again from close range in the 90th minute to severely hamper Chelsea’s hopes for the second leg, and make the hosts’ advantage on the scoreboard more accurately reflect their dominance.Quick GuideWSL roundup: Holmgaards combine to hit City’s Champions League hopesShowManchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom GarryPhotograph: Nigel French/PAWas this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Caroline Graham Hansen, who had been a doubt for this first leg after missing Barcelona’s training session on Saturday because of illness, was named among the starting side and the Norway winger began the game impressively, giving the Chelsea left-back Baltimore plenty to think about in the early stages. A shot by Graham Hansen was deflected wide, after the hosts’ holding midfielder Patricia Guijarro had seen a low effort deflected into the arms of Hampton, while Chelsea struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to mount many meaningful attacks in the opening exchanges.skip past newsletter promotionSign up toMoving the GoalpostsFree weekly newsletterNo topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s footballEnter your email addressSign upPrivacy Notice:Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see ourPrivacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.after newsletter promotionBarcelona’s early pressure eventually led to a penalty when Nathalie Björn handled Paredes’s header and the Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsár correctly awarded the spot-kick after consulting the screen following a VAR check. Putellas opted to send her strike straight down the middle and the England goalkeeper Hampton, who had dived slightly to Putellas’s right, made the save comfortably with her feet.That proved to be one of the only moments of celebration for the travelling Chelsea fans and ultimately this was a game which highlighted Barcelona’s superior skill as they appear to be on course to knock Chelsea out at the semi-final stage of this competition for the third successive season.Bompastor refused to concede the tie, though, trying to hold on to some hope for a return-leg comeback: “It will be difficult but, in football, you need to believe. We want to go into the second leg trying to win the game and, in football, anything can happen.” The defender Lucy Bronze told TNT Sports: “I think we can do it.”Barcelona are aiming to reach their fifth consecutive final and lift the European title for the fourth time in those five seasons, having started their current run of dominance in this competition with a 4-0 win against Chelsea – who have never won this title – in the 2021 final in Gothenburg, Sweden.This first-leg meeting was similarly one-sided to that showdown four years ago. But Paredes was urging caution when telling the Catalan television channel TV3: “It’s not done. We are happy with how we played, but we have to go there [Stamford Bridge] and play well as well.”
Sonia Bompastor accepted that her Chelsea team had been simply “not good enough” after they were taught a lesson by a technically superior Barcelona side who nowhold a commanding positionin their Women’s Champions League semi-final.
Chelsea were beaten for only the second time in all competitions since Bompastor took over last summer but in sunny Catalonia they were outclassed by the strongest team they have faced in her tenure so far.
Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more
Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more
Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reactionRead more
Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reaction
Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea: Women’s Champions League semi-final, first leg – live reaction
Read more
Read more
“Barcelona is maybe the best team in Europe,” Bompastor said. “I think when the result was 2-1 we were not in a bad situation, but the last 10 minutes were not good enough. As a team we made too many mistakes tonight to have a better result. The version we showed tonight was not good enough.
“When you play Barcelona, you just need to be brave on the ball, being able to hold the ball under pressure, and being able also in the physical aspects to win your duels, and just sometimes in your football brain to be smarter, to anticipate things. I think we played with too many reactions, instead of being proactive in the game.”
Chelsea are trying to reach the European final for only the second time and could still win a quadruple of major trophies this term in Bompastor’s first season in charge, but they will now need an unlikely looking comeback and the performance of their lives if they are to have any chance of overturning this deficit in London.
The scoreline could have been worse for Chelsea but for Hannah Hampton’s early penalty save, at a time when the tie was level at 0-0, when the former Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was denied from the spot. That kept the home side at bay but not for long, with Putellas classily slipping a through ball into the path of Ewa Pajor for the Poland striker to open the scoring.
Chelsea improved defensively after the break but were undone by a masterful team goal as Barcelona made it 2-0 with a move that involved 18 passes before Clàudia Pina turned in from inside the six-yard box. Pina herself had played the 13th pass of Barcelona’s flowing move from deep inside her own half before sprinting upfield to turn home the cross.
View image in fullscreen
Sandy Baltimore’s crisp strike into the far corner with 16 minutes remaining offered Bompastor’s team a glimmer of hope to bring the scoreline back to 2-1, but a far-post header from an unmarked Irene Paredes restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage soon after. Pina then struck again from close range in the 90th minute to severely hamper Chelsea’s hopes for the second leg, and make the hosts’ advantage on the scoreboard more accurately reflect their dominance.
Quick GuideWSL roundup: Holmgaards combine to hit City’s Champions League hopesShowManchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom GarryPhotograph: Nigel French/PAWas this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.
WSL roundup: Holmgaards combine to hit City’s Champions League hopes
Manchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom GarryPhotograph: Nigel French/PA
Manchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom Garry
Manchester City’s fading hopes of qualifying for the Women’s Champions League were further dented as they dropped points at home in a 1-1 draw withEverton.Nick Cushing’s injury-hit side had taken the lead in scrappy fashion when Kerstin Casparij reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box to tuck in from close range, but that early goal was cancelled out when Karen Holmgaard (right of picture) headed in a cross by her twin sister Sara (left of picture) to equalise. The result left fourth-placed Manchester City seven points away from a European place with only three games remaining.Second-bottomAston Villatook a giant step towards survival as Kirsty Hanson’s 91st-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory away atTottenham. It was Villa’s second consecutive WSL victory and lifted them seven points clear of Crystal Palace, who have four matches left to try and save themselves.Tom Garry
Photograph: Nigel French/PA
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Caroline Graham Hansen, who had been a doubt for this first leg after missing Barcelona’s training session on Saturday because of illness, was named among the starting side and the Norway winger began the game impressively, giving the Chelsea left-back Baltimore plenty to think about in the early stages. A shot by Graham Hansen was deflected wide, after the hosts’ holding midfielder Patricia Guijarro had seen a low effort deflected into the arms of Hampton, while Chelsea struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to mount many meaningful attacks in the opening exchanges.
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No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s football
Enter your email address
after newsletter promotion
Barcelona’s early pressure eventually led to a penalty when Nathalie Björn handled Paredes’s header and the Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsár correctly awarded the spot-kick after consulting the screen following a VAR check. Putellas opted to send her strike straight down the middle and the England goalkeeper Hampton, who had dived slightly to Putellas’s right, made the save comfortably with her feet.
That proved to be one of the only moments of celebration for the travelling Chelsea fans and ultimately this was a game which highlighted Barcelona’s superior skill as they appear to be on course to knock Chelsea out at the semi-final stage of this competition for the third successive season.
Bompastor refused to concede the tie, though, trying to hold on to some hope for a return-leg comeback: “It will be difficult but, in football, you need to believe. We want to go into the second leg trying to win the game and, in football, anything can happen.” The defender Lucy Bronze told TNT Sports: “I think we can do it.”
Barcelona are aiming to reach their fifth consecutive final and lift the European title for the fourth time in those five seasons, having started their current run of dominance in this competition with a 4-0 win against Chelsea – who have never won this title – in the 2021 final in Gothenburg, Sweden.
This first-leg meeting was similarly one-sided to that showdown four years ago. But Paredes was urging caution when telling the Catalan television channel TV3: “It’s not done. We are happy with how we played, but we have to go there [Stamford Bridge] and play well as well.”
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