Tranmerekat on Tour: The VARder they come

Chelsea Women FC v Olympique Lyonnais Feminin in the UWCL Quarter Final at the Stamford Bridge

The Blues face Les Fenottes on a cold West London night and go in to the tie with a one goal advantage. The Lyon fans have dubbed themselves the Lyondoners and are making a good noise up in the corner of The Shed. A few injuries for the blues with Fran and Harder still out. Millie is out too. Magda is in and captain. Wendles is playing for Lyon with Hegeberg and Malard on the bench. Hope it stays dry tonight after getting soaked at the Emirates last night.

The visitors were on it from the start with THE CHELS seeming a little sluggish. The visitors clearly had a plan to over load the right wing and poor Carter was playing very well at left back but getting out numbered. They had a few chances but couldn't score. Chelsea settled a little and defended well. 0-0 at the break with the Blues ahead on aggregate.

Uneventful second half apart from Gilles scoring on 77. A poor goal to concede. Level on aggregate at 90.

Into extra time then. It's nervy now as it could go either way. No goals in the first 15. Swap ends and go again.

Double nervy now. It looks like it is going the way of Lyon when Dabritz gets on the end of a Hegerberg free kick on 110. It all gets a bit more tense and chaotic on 113 as the scoreboards go off and we can't see the clock. It comes back on at 118 and Chelsea find a second wind, or is it first, to push for the equaliser. Into the second and last minute of extra time injury time and it looks like Lauren James is tripped in the box. Big appeals from the players and the crowd but the ref waves it away. Play carries on for another minute or so before the ref stopped play. We shout for VAR and our wish is granted. Ref checks the screen and awards a pen. Clock is now at 125. Chaos in the box as Chelsea try to take it. Sophie Ingle hangs on to the ball. Ref eventually manages to calm things down and Maren Mjelde takes the ball as the the ref tries to the clear the players out of the area. Just as she manages that, she tells them to go away. Players are confused and so are we. It's going to be the very last kick of the game so score and it's more pens or miss and it's all over. No pressure. Maren (ice for blood) Mjelde sticks it in the top corner on 128. Six minutes after the foul. Bonkers. There is carnage on the pitch and in the crowd as we go to a penalty shootout. Do they not know it's a school night.

It's at our end and who is first up but Mjelde and this time it's the bottom corner ✅️1-0. Marozsan equalises ✅️1-1. Kerr is rubbish at pen but nails it ✅️2-1. Hegerburg ✅️2-2. Jessie Flemming has only been on a few minutes but it's no problem ✅️3-2. Up steps Captain Renard ❌️🧤 saved, 3-2. Lauren James ❌️🧤saved, still 3-2. Dabritz levels the scores ✅️3-3. It's sudden death now. Carter has had a great game and steps up to smash in the last of the 5 pens ✅️4-3. It's all on Horan ❌️🧤 saved by AKB. Barcelona here we come. What an ending. The Blues and most of the crowd are ecstatic. Lyon look devastated.

AKB becomes the hero of the night with 2 massive saves. Going out with seconds to go and suddenly though to the semi-final. What a night. Up 'THE CHELS'. Sam and Lauen come over for selfies and then we leg it for the last train.

POTM: Has to be Ann-Katrin Berger 🏆 for the penalty saves under ridiculous pressure. Honourable mentions to Maren Mjelde who made a big difference when she came on and the 2 pens, Erin Cuthbert for being everywhere and Jess Carter for the best we have seen her play.

The ref didn't seem to know what was going on most of the time. Or maybe she did and she has a good poker face. Certainly struggled to communicate with the players.

Scranometer had the night off as we went to McDonalds 🍟🍔 on Victoria station.

Tomorrow off then Brighton v Man U on Saturday morning.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾