BARCELONA — It might be all over for Chelsea. After slumping to a 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semifinal, they face a mammoth, almost impossible task to claw their way back into contention for a place in the final.
The Women’s Super League (WSL) leaders had only lost one game before this, a 2-0 setback to Manchester City in the first leg of the quarterfinals, a score they overturned to book their place in this tie.
But this time, they need to overturn a three-goal deficit after suffering their biggest defeat in 17 months (4-1 to Arsenal in December 2023, while the club was still under the helm of former manager Emma Hayes). It will need to be their best performance, potentially ever, to make their first final since 2019.
Their quadruple hopes also lay in tatters. The Champions League has always eluded Chelsea; its place in the trophy cabinet remains empty, collecting dust after copious failed attempts. After sealing the League Cup, booking a place in the FA Cup final, and being three points clear at the top of the WSL table with a game in hand, they may win three domestic titles — an incredible feat nonetheless — but remain without the one they desire the most.
Having got the tactics right pretty much all season, it was the first time that Sonia Bompastor — a former winner of the competition as both a player and a manager — got it wrong. Trying to play a possession game against a team who notoriously retain the majority of the ball forced Chelsea onto the back foot and they did not adjust accordingly. They then made too many mistakes. Against lesser opposition, they can get away with such errors. Against the current best team in Europe, they are indefensible.
“These games are really difficult because Barcelona are one of, if not the, best team in Europe,” Bompastor said. “When the result was 2-1 we were not in a really bad situation because there was only one goal in it, even if our mentality before the game was to try to win the game.
“But the last 10 minutes were not good enough and we made too many mistakes in the game tonight to have a better performance and a better result. Tonight they [Barcelona] just showed the quality they have on the ball.
“We tried our best — not good enough from us — but I think we can show a better picture of what we want to play in the next leg.”
The Catalans found it easy to break down the visitors, in what was the third consecutive meeting of the sides in the final four of the competition.
The evening started positively for Chelsea and confidence would’ve been high. Eight minutes in, Barcelona were awarded a penalty after Nathalie Björn handled the ball. Alexia Putellas, former Ballon d’Or winner and leading goal scorer — she ranks third for the club across the men’s and women’s teams — took the spot kick, but was denied by goalkeeper Hannah Hampton in spectacular fashion.
But after the 10-minute mark, it began to fall apart. The defense began to falter and the Blues were unable to contend with Barça’s ruthless, dominant and fluid attack, conceding more than two goals for the first time this season.
Putellas’ tally of 210 goals for Barcelona make her a standout for this side and while she has not returned to the level that she enjoyed before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in 2022, she has contributed consistently, expertly engineering the opening goal.
Following a long ball over the top, Putellas picked up the ball after Chelsea fumbled the clearance, classily turning to thread through for an onside Ewa Pajor, who slotted home with ease past Hampton.
By the end of the first half, Barcelona had registered 70% possession, starving Chelsea of chances, although the visitors did look threatening on the counter. The balls into the area looked dangerous, but getting bodies into the box was seldom effective, leaving them looking for answers.
Barcelona’s threats continued to increase with the introduction of Clàudia Pina in the 66th minute, who is leading Champions League Golden Boot race. Despite notching seven goals in the competition, the 23-year-old has been unable to break into the XI consistently. Perhaps wanting to prove that she can start in the final if required, Pina netted just three minutes after being introduced with an expertly timed strike.
In response, Sandy Baltimore gave Chelsea a sliver of hope. Credit to United States forward Catarina Macario, whose effortless work to retain possession and send a stunning ball in to the France international, which she rocketed into the far bottom corner. It was not enough.
The following 20 minutes was a mental capitulation for Chelsea as they crumbled under the immense pressure. The defense proved just how penetrable it was after former teammate Irene Paredes peeled off Lucy Bronze to head home a set piece at the back post. At the other end, the frustrations were clear as the visitors scrambled to try to press forward.
Taking her tally to nine goals on the continent, after getting her second to seal the hefty drubbing, Pina’s celebrations were understandably emphatic, a far cry from the sunken, demoralized Chelsea players who trudged off the pitch.
They lost the battle in all three areas of the pitch. In midfield, the hosts’ well-oiled machine overran and outmuscled Chelsea. The defense was sloppy in communication and error-laden. The attack was lacking any sort of clinical edge. Barcelona had 19 shots, nine on target. Chelsea had just five, with two on target. Simply put, Bompastor’s team were not at the races.
“When you play Barcelona, you just need to be brave on the ball, being able to hold the ball under pressure,” Bompastor added. “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. So yes, maybe these small things can explain it a little bit but, again, it’s really difficult to play against Barcelona because they always put you under pressure. When they have the ball it’s really difficult to recover the ball and when you have the ball they have a really strong team and they are really physical as well, so they have a lot of qualities.”
In 2019, Barcelona defeated Chelsea 4-0 in the Champions League final, with an exceptional first-half performance. The afternoon was somewhat reminiscent of that. Chelsea collapsed in the first half six years ago, whereas this time they collapsed in the final 20 minutes. The Blues have been on a five-year winning streak in the league but were unable to turn their domestic success into continental victory. They may be waiting another year to change that.
“It will be difficult,” Bompastor said. “We will have to score and create a lot more than we did today and also not concede. If we do concede then it will be even more difficult. We like challenges. This will be a big challenge but we have lots of positivity. It is a new game and a new opportunity for us to perform and we are competitors so we want to show a better picture of Chelsea.”
The Blues face relegation-bound Crystal Palace in midweek before hosting Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. Not only do they need to score three goals, they also need to avoid conceding, something that seems improbable against such ruthless opposition.
It will need to be arguably the best performance in their 33-year history as a club to have any hope of reaching the final.
