Chelsea and Lyon bring leads into return legs of Women's Champions League semifinals
LONDON (AP) — Emma Hayes didn’t want anyone to get carried away by Chelsea’s surprise 1-0 win over Barcelona last week in the Women’s Champions League semifinals.
That’s because Chelsea needs to finish the job Saturday in the second-leg match in order to reach just its second final — in Hayes’ final season at the club.
Defending champion Barcelona won at Stamford Bridge in the semifinals a year ago and arrived in London with more than enough firepower — evident on the team airplane emblazoned with players’ images — to make a comeback.
Lyon faces Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday at Parc des Princes in the other second-leg semifinal. Eight-time champion Lyon trailed 2-0 but came back to win 3-2 in last week’s opener.
The final is on May 25 in Bilbao, Spain.
Here’s a closer look at the second-leg matches:
CHELSEA-BARCELONA
Even with a high-powered attack led by playmaker and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, Barcelona failed to get a shot on target in the first leg. That should change as Barcelona will look to play much faster. Erin Cuthbert’s 40th-minute goal was enough for Chelsea to hand Barcelona its first home loss in five years. The Blues stayed compact in defense and took away passing lanes. Some of Barcelona’s problems were self-inflicted: Salma Paralluelo misfired on a couple of second-half chances before two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas put a shot wide from point-blank range just before the final whistle. A year ago, Caroline Graham Hansen scored early at Stamford Bridge in Barcelona’s 1-0 first-leg victory. Barcelona beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in last season’s Champions League final for its second title. Chelsea reached the final in 2021, losing 4-0 to Barcelona. Both coaches are headed to the United States after the season. Hayes is taking over as coach of the U.S. women’s national team. Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez will be the coach of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit.
Related articles
Former cruise ship worker reveals the six things she would NEVER do on board
A former cruise ship employee has revealed the six things she would never do on board - but how many2024-05-07More than 641 million parcels delivered over Spring Festival holiday
More than 641 million parcels were delivered across the country during the eight-day Spring Festival2024-05-07Surgeon performs simulated breast cancer surgery on a balloon
(People's Daily Online) 10:45, April 22, 2021A doctor has demonstrated his excellent surgical skills2024-05-07- Hu finishes a pattern.[Photo provided to China Daily]Chinese gold medalist at the 2017 WorldSkills C2024-05-07
It's 20 years since the last ever episode of Friends. But from body
Twenty years have passed since the last ever episode of Friends was screened. The hugely popular com2024-05-07Ozone layer's repair could slow climate change
An influential panel of UN-backed scientists say that airborne chemicals that had been destroying th2024-05-07
atest comment