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Chelsea suffer Champions League heartbreak after controversial semi-final defeat to Barcelona

Kadeisha Buchanan is shown a red card
Kadeisha Buchanan was shown a red card at Stamford Bridge during Chelsea vs Barcelona -Credit:Charlie Crowhurst - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images


Ten-player Chelsea crashed out of the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) with a 2-0 semi-final second-leg defeat to holders Barcelona at a sold-out Stamford Bridge.

Aitana Bonmati's deflected strike and a well-taken penalty from Fridolina Rolfo saw Jonatan Giraldez's side advance to the last two of the competition for the fifth time in six seasons, with Kadeisha Buchanan's controversial second-half dismissal only exacerbating the visitors' dominance in west London.

Chelsea had gone into the clash with a slender advantage thanks to their 1-0 first-leg victory at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís. Erin Cuthbert's stunner had been enough to earn Emma Hayes' side their first ever win over Barcelona but the Blues boss knew there would still be plenty of work to do in the second leg, insisting ahead of the game that her team would have to be "perfect" if they wanted to reach a second UWCL final in four years.

Chelsea's task was made even more difficult by the fact club-record signing Mayra Ramirez, who was excellent in Catalonia, was unavailable at Stamford Bridge due to injury, with Catarina Macario replacing her in the starting lineup. Unsurprisingly, the visitors made a strong start in West London and had their first sight of goal when England international Lucy Bronze picked out captain Patri Guijarro inside the area but the Spaniard's first touch let her down.

Chelsea responded well and could have taken the lead when the ball fell to Cuthbert on the edge of the box, however the Scot could only blaze her first-time effort over the crossbar. That opened the door for Barcelona to make the breakthrough after 25 minutes, with Ballon d'Or winner Bonmati's tame effort from distance taking a wicked deflection off Buchanan and trickling into the back of the net.

The hosts looked destined to retake the lead in the tie when Lauren James managed to pick out Melanie Leupolz at the back post but the German contrived to hit the bar from just a few yards out, her blushes only spared by the raising of the offside flag. The chances continued to come for Chelsea, though, with Macario forcing a fine fingertip save from Catalina Coll before Sjoeke Nusken intercepted a loose back-pass and teed up James, who couldn't convert.

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Barcelona finished the half strongly and could have doubled their advantage when Leupolz was pickpocketed in her own half but Fridolina Rolfo couldn't hit the target with her long-range strike, leaving the tie level heading into the break.

The visitors continued to dominate after the break but it was Chelsea who came closest to finding the back of the net when Nusken's strike crashed off the post following a superb cut-back from Ashley Lawrence. However, the afternoon took a turn for the worse for the Blues when Buchanan was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Patri.

And Hayes' side quickly found themselves on the receiving end of another harsh decision when Barcelona were awarded a penalty after Bonmati went down under pressure from Lawrence inside the area. Rolfo kept her cool to slot home her spot-kick and put the European champions on the brink of yet another Champions League final.

With time running out, Hayes introduced captain Millie Bright and midfielder Fran Kirby from the bench but Chelsea were unable find a way back into the tie. The defeat means the Chelsea boss, who will become head coach of the US Women's national team at the end of the season, will leave West London without a European trophy to her name.

But the Blues will still hope they can crown her glittering tenure with some silverware as they remain well-positioned to win a fifth consecutive Women's Super League (WSL) title this term.

All of this season's UEFA Women's Champions League fixtures are broadcast live DAZN and you can register for free here. The second leg of Lyon vs PSG is also free to watch here.