In what happened to be a thrilling game from start to finish, Barcelona pulled their way through to the UWCL final in Eindhoven, with the deafening noise of 72,262 fans cheering them on.
After playing a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in their second leg encounter of their semi-final clash, the Spanish side marched on to their third consecutive final in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
The lone goal win away in the first leg helped Barcelona qualify for the final in Eindhoven, with an aggregate score of 2-1 in their favor.
Here, we take a look at how the match went down at the Spotify Camp Nou
First Half
From kickoff, Chelsea looked like a team in search of a goal to balance the scoreline, in comparison to what happened in the first leg. However, after 3 minutes of play, Barcelona settled into the game and dominated their opponents.
Caroline Graham Hansen particularly created a lot of problems down the right wing. She eventually put the ball in the back of the net in the 7th minute, but the goal was ruled out due to a handball from the Norwegian before taking the shot.
Chances came by without any of them being converted as Mariona and Oshoala came close to scoring but ended up putting the ball over the crossbar.
Barcelona kept the Chelsea forwards quiet and dominated the game until the halftime whistle was blown.
Second Half
Chelsea realized that time was running out and if they would do anything to change the course of the game, it had to be at that moment. The Blues came out charging trying to find a goal to cancel the deficit from the first leg.
But it was Barcelona that would take advantage of the moment, with a counterattack. In the 63rd minute, a breakaway with beautiful one-touch football from Mariona found Aitana with space to run in on the Chelsea backline.
With Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo creating options for the midfielder on both ends, Aitana played a clean pass to Graham Hansen which the Barcelona number 10 dispatched into the back of the net.
With the Blaugrana 2-0 up on aggregate, and threatening to run away with the game, Chelsea came out in full attack with nothing to lose.
Their pressure paid off in the 66th minute, after robbing the ball off Mariona, an over-the-top ball found Sam Kerr who was denied by Sandra Panos, the Barcelona goalkeeper. However, Chelsea forward Reiten was there to put the rebound into the back of the net.
From that moment it was Chelsea coming at Barcelona in search of another goal to level the game on aggregate. Despite the efforts of the Blues, it was to be Barcelona’s night. The Spanish team held on to their lead and came out as eventual winners as the referee blew the full-time whistle.
Goals and Assists
63’ GOAL – Caroline Graham Hansen
ASSIST – Aitana Bonmati
67’ GOAL – Reiten (Chelsea)
Substitutions
60’ Asisat Oshoala, and Keira Walsh – OUT
Salma Paralluelo, and Ingrid Engen – IN
71’ Marta Torrejon – OUT
Ana Maria Crnogorcevic – IN
71’ Aitana Bonmati – OUT
Geyse Ferreira – IN
Come June in Eindhoven, Barcelona would play in the UWCL final for the third time in a row against the winners of the second semi-final clash between Arsenal and Wolfsburg.
But for now, it’s time to celebrate.
Felicitats Culers!
Barcelona marched on to Eindhoven for a third consecutive UWCL final appearance
With the final in Eindhoven at stake for both teams, an enthralling game ensued at the Spotify Camp Nou as Barcelona hosted Chelsea in the second leg of their UWCL semi-final clash. A 1-0 victory in London coupled with a 1-1 draw in Barcelona was enough for Barcelona to knock Chelsea out of the competition on aggregate.
In an exciting game of football from kickoff to the final whistle, Barcelona emerged victorious and edged out their English counterparts to grab the ticket to the final in Eindhoven.
Let’s have a breakdown of the Blaugrana’s performance on the night.
A dominant first-half display
Barcelona dominated most of the first half, showing superiority in almost all areas of the pitch. This ensured that Chelsea had less time and the ball, making it difficult to create chances. While Barcelona kept possession of the ball and created goal-scoring chances that could have killed the tie
Chances need to be converted
After Chelsea’s goal in the second half to draw the game in the night, Barcelona looked disjointed. The team could hardly get the ball forward as cleanly as they did in the first half. With Chelsea mounting pressure on the Barcelona players, Barcelona had to settle for a game of attrition, where holding on to their lead was all they could do.
This brings us to the discussion of goal conversion. For a team that has created the most chances in the UWCL, our conversion rate is pretty low. Barcelona had the chance to kill the game in the first half but failed to score.
Chelsea’s lack of a second goal ensured the victory. However, if Chelsea had scored the second goal, it would have been a whole different story. Barcelona would then have to crawl their way back into a game where they’ve lost their dominance.
The team would need to find their shooting boots again to be able to see out games confidently as they’ve always done.
A fatigued midfield
The midfield of Aitana, Patri, and Walsh has often been fielded this season, especially with injuries to some players who play their best football in the middle of the park. These three players have been giving their all in every game, and fatigue is starting to creep in on them.
Although the English midfielder rarely gets to play for the whole 90 minutes, it’s a different story for her Spanish partners.
Patri Guijjaro was not at her very best against Chelsea in London, and she had some struggling moments in the Spotify Camp Nou as well.
Aitana Bonmati controlled the midfield as usual, but the midfielder had to be taken off as a precaution after she went down holding her groin in the 80th minute of the game.
With the return of Alexia Putellas, Mariona Caldentey, and Claudia Pina, the former trio might get some relief. Barcelona’s midfield might as well experience some dynamism from the style of play of the latter.
However, the fact remains that at the final whistle at the Spotify Camp Nou, it is Barcelona who progress on to the final in Eindhoven.
