Importance Score: 25 / 100 🔵
Key events
The post-match postbag.
S.Sherrington’s thoughts:
Unfortunately for Chelsea this is a reality check, losing to Barcelona 4-1. This is the level Chelsea have been at all season, they have just been very lucky, scraping over the line in nearly all there other games!
And Macy offers her view:
Am I the only one that thinks Chelsea were not that bad! Barcelona got lucky with referee decisions …
Differing opinions here.
Barcelona played excellent as a team but Pina was certainly the star. The super sub came on for 24 minutes and had two goals, one assist, three shots on target, two key passes, one big chance created and 100% pass accuracy from 13 passes. An excellent decision from Romeu to bring her on.
Full-time: Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea
Tie over? Chelsea suffer their biggest defeat in 17 months at the hands of Barcelona, a team that has often been the one to stop them from getting their hands on the coveted Champions League trophy. Barcelona showed their skill and their strength in depth. A huge task to be done at Stamford Bridge next week.
90+3 min: Nüsken’s tame shot is saved by Coll and the Barcelona keeper happily sits on the ball as the minutes tick away.
90 min: We are getting at least five minutes of added time.
90 min: Just before that goal Barcelona had another chance with Bronze being dragged out wide before a Rolfö cross. Baltimore was able to deal with the initial danger but the ball was then knicked off of Bright by Pajor whose shot went high off target.
GOAL! Barcelona 4-1 Chelsea (Pina 90)
Pina gets her double but it’s the assist that is the star. Putellas stuns with a beautiful backheel after a one-two with Pina and the No 9 slots it home. It is a great worked goal but Chelsea’s backline are all over the place.
88 min: Some more late changes for both teams. Ramírez makes way for Nüsken while Paralluelo comes off for López.
84 min: Welcome to the Champions League, Girma! The world record signing was on the pitch for moments before conceding.
GOAL! Barcelona 3-1 Chelsea (Paredes 82)
Barcelona’s perfect corner routine reinstates their two goal cushion! Pina’s curler is right to Paredes at the far post and the latter heads the effort straight to the back of the net after shaking off Bronze.
81 min: Girma, the world’s most expensive player is on making her Champions League debut, replaces Björn while Brugts comes off for Rolfö.
78 min: Big save from Hampton! Pina looks for her second as she curls one from the right. The Chelsea keeper gets low and catches the effort. There is a brief VAR check for a shove in the area but the check is over in moments and nothing is given.
77 min: Pina gets a yellow for a shove on Bronze and she is the first Barcelona player in the book.
GOAL! Barcelona 2-1 Chelsea (Baltimore 74)
Chelsea get one back! Macario finds Baltimore out wide. The full-back takes a touch before slotting home an excellent finish from outside of the box on the left. Pinpoint finish in what is her 50th Champions League appearance. Barcelona are complaining but not sure what about. After a slow start to this half it has suddenly burst to life!
72 min: Macario is booked for a clash of knees against Putellas.
GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Chelsea (Pina 70)
Doing exactly what she did in the quarter-finals, Pina scores her ninth goal in seven matches. Baltimore mistimes her tackle against Battle and the full-back puts in a lovely cross for the No 9 to tap it in. From that close of range, it was always going to be tough for Hampton to save and Bronze is left stretching behind Pina and she unsuccessfully tries to block the shot.
68 min: Cuthbert jams her studs hard on the pitch and is now having her knee looked at by the physios. She is up on her feet but is limping off the pitch. We have seen this so many times in women’s football but it looks like it isn’t as bad as feared. She is back on the pitch.
66 min: Graham Hansen makes way for Pina. The No 9, who was out injured, is such a fan favourite that the fans were chanting her name while she was warming up.
64 min: Walsh gets on the ball, looks around and then makes a pass back. She then shrugs her shoulders at her teammates, pointing to the empty gaps. Indicative of Chelsea’s performance this half.
61 min: Beever-Jones, Chelsea’s top scorer this season, has had a quiet day. She comes off for Reiten. Kaptein also makes way for Macario.
60 min: Brugts shows some good feet to get the ball off Ramírez. Chelsea are about to make some changes. Can they inject some energy?
58 min: Chelsea finally get out of their half. Ramírez puts a cross through but there are no cream shirts there to get on the end of it.
56 min: Coll and Ramírez exchange a few words after the striker tries to latch onto a loose ball. One to watch as the Chelsea player has already been booked.
55 min: Chelsea have to be better in possession. They are losing it so easy, handing it straight back to Barcelona at the edge of their box. It has all been Barcelona in the 10 minutes of this second half.
52 min: Paralluelo gets past Bronze on the flank and puts a cross in for Graham Hansen but the hosts just can’t get a shot off.
51 min: Long ball over the top for Pajor. The striker doesn’t see the opportunity to shoot so she opts to lay it off but Bronze intercepts.
50 min: The boos are still continuing from the Barcelona fans everytime Hampton is on the ball.
48 min: Bonmatí knicks off the ball off her former teammate Walsh before trying to find Paralluelo but her pass is intercepted.
47 min: Barcelona has 10 shots to Chelsea’s three in the first half.
46 min: Barcelona made a half-time change with León, who was limping off earlier, is off for Engen.
We are back underway for the second half at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. Can Chelsea find a way to take some sort of advantage back to west London? Let’s find out.
Some half-time postbag!
Kirk writes:
Had Girma been healthy, I am sure Bompastor would have gone with a back five. Would have loved to see Bronze and Baltimore hitting the flanks. Surprised Reiten did not start in place of Jones, would have loved to see Jones as an impact sub. Walsh has not impressed this season, could have preferred Nüsken. Barcelona can be had and I believe Chelsea are team to do it.
I am certainly interested in seeing what, if any changes, Bompastor makes. Chelsea had a good spell but still rarely threatened Coll. Their first shot on target was Beever-Jones’s free-kick in added time at the end of the half.
Tom Garry
As Putellas prepared to take her spot-kick, there was a shushing noise rippling around the home crowd as the Barcelona supporters tried to make it as quiet as possible for their talismanic former Ballon d’Or winner. The Chelsea fans – situated at the opposite end of the stadium – were still doing their best to put Putellas off from afar, but Hampton had the save in the bag anyway. That’s one of the most important saves of Hampton’s young career so far.
Half-time: Barcelona 1-0 Chelsea
Chelsea win another corner but nothing comes from it before the referee blows her whistle. Hampton kept Chelsea in the game early on especially with her penalty save against Putellas but Pajor’s strike in the 35th min is what separates the two sides.
45+5 min: The corner comes in and Bronze creates space for herself by pushing away her defender but the ball goes just over her head. Chelsea are pushing for an equaliser before the half-time whistle.
45+3 min: Bronze gets challenged in the box and moments later Bonmatí fouls Cuthbert. The referee blows her whistle for the latter but Bronze is fuming – she wants a penalty but she is not going to get one. But Chelsea still have a dangerous free-kick about 25 yards out … Beever-Jones takes it and forces a big save out of Coll on the keepers left! Big chance for Chelsea and they now have a corner.
45+2 min: Graham Hansen attempts her trademark curler from the right but her shot is high and wide.
45 min: It is all a bit scrappy now. Cuthbert gets fouled and Bompastor wants a yellow for Guijarro but the referee pays no mind to the head coach. We will be getting at least 6 minutes of added time in this half.
Tom Garry
43 min: The Barcelona men’s team star Lamine Yamal is in the crowd here, willing the hosts on from the front row of the VIP section just to the left of the press seats.