Written by Claire Lovell
LONDON (Reuters) – Barcelona overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in the Women's Champions League final at a packed Stamford Bridge on Saturday as Emma Hayes' 10-man side defeated Chelsea 2-0. .
It was the second consecutive season that Barça defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the semi-finals, and it was a blow for home coach Hayes, who left Chelsea after 14 years to take charge of the United States national team.
The match was also controversial for what Hayes and some commentators thought was an unfair red card for Canada's Kadeisha Buchanan, which changed the course of the match.
Hayes' hugely successful side have never won the Champions League, reaching the final only once, in 2021, when they lost 4-0 to Barcelona.
The Catalan side, who have won the title twice in the last three years, took the lead in the 26th minute when Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bommati found space on the edge of the box and slotted past Niamh Charles. Her shot caught Buchanan's deflection and went into the net.
A week ago, against Barcelona, they canceled out Erin Cuthbert's goal after enduring high-tempo pressure from the visitors.
“I was a little bit lucky, but sometimes you have to take a shot in the box and sometimes you don't know,” Bonmati told DAZN.
Bommatti's goal puts her on par with Alexia Putelas, with 21 goals, as Barcelona's all-time top scorer in the Women's Champions League. This was her fifth of 10 matches in Europe.
Chelsea, who packed Stamford Bridge for the first time in a women's match, responded quickly, moving forward and creating chances for Lauren James and Katarina Macario.
Chelsea also had Shake Nuxen hit the post in the 57th minute.
But moments later, as rain lashed south-west London, Buchanan was sent off for a second yellow for a challenge on Salma Palaruello.
Ms. Hayes was furious at the decision, saying she thought it was wrong because Buchanan was too close to the ball, and that it cost her team any chance of victory.
She said she felt the tide was in Chelsea's favor, including shots that hit the posts, but the chances were taken away.
“We didn't lose it. It was taken from us,” she told reporters.
“The authorities made an outrageous decision,” she added. “It's really, really hard to accept that when you're working so hard.”
Their home hopes were finally dashed when Fridrina Rolfo put Barça ahead 2-1 on aggregate in the 74th minute from the penalty spot after Chelsea's arch-rival Bommatti was adjudged to have been fouled by Ashley Lawrence.
“It's amazing, it's another final,'' Bommatti said as his teammates danced and sang in front of fans who had traveled in the rain. “It wasn't easy because we had a tough team in front of us. We had to sweat in our T-shirts to achieve it. I'm proud of my team and let's play for another final.”
Barça will face Olympique Lyonnais or Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals on Sunday in the final in Bilbao on May 25th.
The result left Chelsea with just one chance to win the silver medal. They hope to retain their Super League title but are three points behind Manchester City with a game in hand.
They lost to Arsenal in the League Cup final last month, followed by Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final.
(Reporting by Clare Lovell; Editing by Clare Fallon)
