IFFHS CONTINENTAL NEWS - UEFA
Picture : Aitana Bonmati played again a great game with Barcelona, showing a wonderful talent which remember another Barça Player ... Andres Iniesta !
WOMEN’S UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – SEMI FINAL 1
- In front of an impressive crowd of 72 262 spectators at the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona, first at the IFFHS CLUB WORLD RANKING, reached again the final for the third time in a row.
- In the first leg, Caroline Graham Hansen produced a superb strike to score what proved to be the winning goal. In the second leg, she produced again the goal to allow FC Barcelona to reach for the 4th time in 5 years the UEFA Champions League final in Eindhoven (Netherlands) on June 3.
- Norway was top at tne Camp Nou in Barcelona. Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona) and Guro Reiten (Chelsea) scored the two goals of the match.
- Home advantage was crucial for the Catalan giants, who have not suffered a Champions League home defeat since losing 1-0 to Lyon in March 2018.
- Having won their four Champions League home games this season by a 23-1 scoreline, Barcelona has for the first time conceded a draw.
- The English champions have already claimed a notable away victory in the knockout rounds, beating the reigning European champions Lyon 1-0 in France in the previous round.But the 1-1 in Barcelona was not enough .
- However, Chelsea have tended to struggle on their travels in the last four, having lost all of their previous three away legs before this draw that have taken place in the Champions League semi-finals.
- The Blues were thrashed 4-0 by Barcelona when they reached the final in the 2020-21 campaign, they conceded again a defeat in London, but realized a draw in Barcelona.
- Barcelona was unable to call upon Lucy Bronze, who has undergone knee surgery after being forced off in the second half at Stamford Bridge.
- Afte recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Alexia Putellas , BALLON D’OR winner 2021 and 2022, IFFHS WORLD’S BEST PLAYER 2021 and 2022, waited to make her long-awaited return to the matchday squad, but the 29-year-old didn’t play.
- Chelsea was still without the services of Millie Bright, Kadeisha Buchanan, Fran Kirby and Katerina Svitkova due to injury issues.
- Pernille Harder returned from a lengthy layoff to make an appearance as a late substitute in the first leg, again in the second leg.