Barcelona Reach UEFA Women's Champions League Final By Eliminating Chelsea

Barcelona have reached the final of the UEFA Women's Champions League for the fourth time in five seasons. Barcelona beat Chelsea 2-1 on aggregate in the semis.
Barcelona Reach UEFA Women's Champions League Final By Eliminating Chelsea
Barcelona Reach UEFA Women's Champions League Final By Eliminating Chelsea /

Barcelona have reached the final of the UEFA Women's Champions League for the fourth time in five seasons.

Last year's runners-up beat fellow 2021 finalists Chelsea 2-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in Thursday's semi-final second leg at the Camp Nou.

Caroline Graham Hansen fired Barca into a deserved lead 64 minutes into Thursday's game.

Chelsea had not registered a single shot during the opening hour.

But they hit back in the 67th minute when Guro Reiten converted a rebound after Sam Kerr had seen her initial effort saved by Sandra Panos.

Panos was not seriously tested again though as Barcelona's defense stood firm.

Players from Barcelona pictured celebrating a goal during their UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final win over Chelsea in April 2023
Players from Barcelona pictured celebrating a goal during their UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final victory over Chelsea :: IMAGO/Bildbyran/Vegard Grott

Thursday's second leg was played in front of more than 70,000 fans.

One of the biggest cheers of the night came before kick-off when the name of Alexia Putellas was read out over the speaker system.

The two-time Ballon d'Or winner was an unused substitute on the night. But this was the first time that she had been included in a matchday squad since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee on July 5 last year, the day before Euro 2022 began.

Putellas will likely now make her first Champions League appearance of the season in the final on June 3.

Barcelona will face Arsenal or Wolfsburg in the final.


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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.