Chelsea Barcelona

Cry Me A Diver Chelsea Women host FC Barcelona Femeni in the UWCL Semi Final Second Leg at Stamford Bridge

Where are we and What’s going on

The Blues face the Blaugrana (blue and garnet) in the home leg to a sellout crowd on a chilly 🥶 and damp 🌧April 🤷‍♂️afternoon in SW6. It’s halftime in the tie and the Blues are a goal ahead having won 1-0 away in Barcelona.  Due to the Camp Nou renovations, t was at the 'Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium' which was built in 1927 although has been used recently for the 1992 Olympics. It was Barca's first home defeat for 5 years 👀 and the first time they have been goalless for longer than that. That defeat must smart a little 🤣 so we can be sure that they will be up for revenge today. Chelsea may well come to regret not having been more clinical when they had the upper hand in sunny Spain. It's a narrow lead against a team that can be so effective in attack.

A sell out at the Bridge

There is also some bad news on the team front. We have seen Mayra behind our seats in the Shed sitting in the lounge with Sam Kerr so she is out after being injured in the away leg. She was a big part of the win in Spain and we felt that she was targeted in that game, successfully as it seems now. Emma will need a different plan today with Catarina Macario as the only striker. It’s Captain Niamh today. It’s Emma's last game at Stamford Bridge 😢 after 12 years at Chelsea. Let's hope she can go out on a high. We’ve got our song sheets 🎶. Let's hope we get to use them🎵. The Liquidator blares out, then the anthemsflag. There looks like a spontaneous taking of the knee then we’re off. Come on you Blues.

Waiting for the action to start

Off we go

Chelsea get the first clean break after a combative 5 minutes. Cat’s pass to LJ doesn’t find her and is collected by the defence. LJ is soon involved again as she is the target of a great long ball from Kadeisha but she is a mile offside.

Barca are starting to press. Literally in the case of Rolfo who gets 2 hands on the back of Jess Carter at the byline sending her flying into the advertising screen. She knew what she was doing there and it wasn’t playing the ball. Fortunately Jess seems OK. We’ll check in with the advertising screen later on.

Chelsea are penned into their own ⅓ and hitting on the break. Ashley Lawrence is flagged for offside before the move has finished. Don’t think VAR works that way Lino especially when it’s marginal.

There is a game of ping pong in the Chelsea box after Niamh’s clearance goes straight up. Barca are maintaining control at the moment. Hannah makes a good save from CGH’s shot through bodies.

A bit of magic from Bonmati allows her to get off a shot. It deflects off Kadeisha and wrong foots Hannah to roll into the bottom corner. The tie is level now. All to play for 🙏. It was coming from all the pressure but it is still unlucky for Chelsea to concede like that.

It’s nearly a second as more clever play in tight spaces allows CGH cross. It’s put out for a corner just as Selma is about to put herself on the score sheet.

Chelsea are on the break again through LJ and Cat. Melanie Leupolz gets her head to it but hits the bar. So close. It’s flagged offside but might have been a tight call had it gone in.

That was just quick breather and Barca are back on the rampage. 

But Chelsea break again. Cat forces at good save from Cata Coll. She curls the corner and it threatens to go straight in but it’s caught by Coll.

There is booing for the ref as she gets in the way of Leupolz with the ball then allows play to continue like nothing happened. What?!?

Barca make a rare mistake at the back which gifts Nüsken the ball. She passes to LJ who somehow misses the goal. Not going in is it?

CGH and Rolfo both get shots in but they are blocked and saved. Some sensible defending at last as Jess clears the danger by just smashing it into the stand.

Rolfo gets the last chance of the half. It ends 0-1 on 45+3. The tie is equal on aggregate.

It’s a big 2nd half ahead. There are chances both ways.

Barca have a penalty shout on 49 for a tackle by Nüsken on Bronze. There is absolutely nothing in it but the visitor’s bench are getting very animated and the 4th official has to step in to sort them out.

Cat capitalises on a mistake by Batlle and manages to stop the ball going into touch but as she goes to cut it back, it’s flagged for a goal kick. The officiating is getting worse.

Kadiesha is beaten to the ball by Selma and it’s a poor tackle. It’s the first yellow of the game. Harsh, maybe a little. It’s late but not malicious but the Spanish Champions like to milk any contact.

Chelsea come so close to taking the lead again as Nusken slides onto JRK cut back. It skims the outside of the post. No lucky deflections for the Blues.

Kadisha beats Guijarra to the ball. The Barca captain goes down like she has been shot and is rolling around in agony. Disgusting behaviour for a Captain but she knows exactly what she is doing. She gets what she wants and Kadiesha gets a second yellow. That added up to a red and off she goes. No chance for VAR to intervene as it’s not a straight red. Just the diving champions of Europe doing what they do best. And the officials willingly helping out. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Selma heads way over from a great Rolfo cutback. A cutback that wasn’t deemed to not have crossed the line because it didn’t. Unlike Cat’s earlier, that didn’t go out either. Hannah jumps for it then sits down for a Zinsberger 🩺.

Both teams head off for team talks. Emma makes her first change as Cat makes way for Guru on 63.

Hannah has fully recovered and makes an easy save from Ona Batlle after a good cross and some ping pong. It's Cata's turn to make an easy save from JRK. She chops in on her left foot but the curling shoot is too central. She had a chance to smash it from an angle with her right before she cut in but didn’t take it.

The visitors first change comes on 67 as Ona is replaced by Mariona Caldenty. It’s a positive attacking substitution and she gets a good chance straight away.

Hannah needs to be alert and has to come out to be Parallelo to a long ball.

Nusken puts in a great cross but it’s headed clear by Lucy. At the other end, Jess is blocking everything and tidying up by smashing into touch.

There is another penalty appeal on 73 after Jess tackles Aitana. It looks good but the ref decides that it’s a foul and points to the spot. It’s approved by VAR who were probably making a cup of tea at the time. Rolfo scores to put them in front for the first time on 75. .

Emma makes another change on 77 as she brings on Aggie to replace Leupolz. Another attacking change. Needs to be. A big 15 minutes ahead for the Blues. She is causing problems for Barca straight away. She is fouled, winning a dangerous free kick. It’s well defended and cleared.

Emma makes her last roll of the dice on 84 as she makes 3 more changes. Going off are, LJ,Melanie Lawrence and JRK. Replacing them are Mille, Fran and Eve Perisset. Millie goes up front.

We are relieved to see CGH going off only to groan as we see that her replacement is Pina. Oops.

Selma is the token booking for Barca as she leaves a foot in on Hannah.

There are to be 6 added minutes. Come on Chels.

Aitana must have hurt herself diving as see hobbles off to be replaced by Alexia.

Chelsea get a penalty shout for a foul on Aggie. We have seen soft ones given today but not this one.

Selma gets good shot in but Hannah makes a great save to keep the Blues in it. 

They are start to hit it long as the clock runs down. Aggie gets one last cross and it’s all over. Another semi-final defeat to the Spanish Champions.

We think it’s all over

Emma's quadruple dream has gradually disappeared over the last few weeks and the double hope has vanished today and all that is left is the WSL title. It could easily have gone the other way with the chances that Chelsea squandered in Barcelona. That would have seen them start here with a comfortable lead. The game was closer than the scoreline suggests and might have been completely different with a different ref.

It wasn't the best experience either as the Shed was full of plastic Man U fans wearing Barca shirts with 22 Ona Battle on the back. Thought this was the home end! And they wouldn't sit down.

It’s a first for the Shed today that there were paper planes dropping from the Upper Tier. You bored up there? It's disappointing that the Blues aren't going to Bilbao but we are going anyway🛫😎. It’s Barca v Lyon so add 2 Lyon fans to the number.

There must have been some Arsenal fans in the home end cheering for Barca as they were singing on the way back to the tube.

Long day, headed home

The other bits

POTM: It could only be Jess carter.  A great performance and sensible solid defending against tricky opponents.  Rocketing 🚀 the ball ⚽ into the stands.  Well done Jess.  And it was never a pen 🤿.

Officially opinionated: The ref only turned up for one side today. Barca are great at playing the ref if allowed to do so and didn’t waste the chance this afternoon. The two decisions that changed the game were both poor in our opinion. The penalty was soft but then Bonmati does seem to have a balance issue when in the opposition box. Kadisha's 2nd yellow wasn’t a foul.

There were so many little decisions only going one way as well. The ball should have been dropped after it bounced off her. You can’t choose to play on or not depending on which team is impacted. Rolfo attacking Jess was by far the worst foul of the match but not dealt with at all. It’s just lucky that there wasn’t a worse outcome for Jess.

The line keeping was also poor. Flagging a goal kick when the ball didn’t go out and stopping the play for an offside before the move has finished. We are very much not fans of VAR but if it’s used ,it should be used consistently.

We could go on but can’t be bothered. We just hope that the same fixture next season is better officiated 🙏🏼.

Basil Watch: We met him outside the main entrance but didn't see or hear him again.

We're only here for the Basil

The Scran’O’meter like the pre-order system here. Once we remember how it works! We can report that all live and spare bottle tops were both confiscated. A good job that they were just decoys and several others sneaked in. Not telling how 😶.

Love Tranmerekat 🐾