Battling, brave and somewhat aggrieved, Chelsea’s Champions League dream died in front of a record crowd of 39,398. A first-half goal from the mercurial Aitana Bonmatí, the controversial sending off of Kadeisha Buchanan and a questionable second-half penalty scored by Fridolina Rolfö denied Emma Hayes’s side a place in the final in Bilbao next month, and a dream finish to her time with the Blues.
There was one change apiece for the showdown at Stamford Bridge. Mayra Ramírez was out of the squad entirely, with Hayes confirming the Colombia international had an injury that forced them to “change direction” and hand Catarina Macario a first Champions League start for the Blues. Meanwhile, Jonatan Giráldez recalled Lucy Bronze for Barcelona, with Mariona Caldentey dropping out.
Continue reading…Battling, brave and somewhat aggrieved, Chelsea’s Champions League dream died in front of a record crowd of 39,398. A first-half goal from the mercurial Aitana Bonmatí, the controversial sending off of Kadeisha Buchanan and a questionable second-half penalty scored by Fridolina Rolfö denied Emma Hayes’s side a place in the final in Bilbao next month, and a dream finish to her time with the Blues.There was one change apiece for the showdown at Stamford Bridge. Mayra Ramírez was out of the squad entirely, with Hayes confirming the Colombia international had an injury that forced them to “change direction” and hand Catarina Macario a first Champions League start for the Blues. Meanwhile, Jonatan Giráldez recalled Lucy Bronze for Barcelona, with Mariona Caldentey dropping out. Continue reading…
