
Chelsea v Barcelona: Women's Champions League semi-final, second leg
30 min: Nüsken has looked bright for Chelsea. The German midfielder drags the ball away from an opposition player and finds Baltimore again. This time Baltimore picks out Ramírez who half heartedly goes down under a challenge. Share
28 min: As much as I tried to build up this game, Barcelona have largely looked comfortable, even before the goal. Chelsea have never scored against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. Share
Surely that's game, set and match. Aitana Bonmatí drives with the ball from her own half, evading a slide tackle from Niamh Charles. The Spanish midfielder just keeps on going and smashes the ball past Hampton at her near post. Clinical! Aitana Bonmati scores for Barcelona! Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Share
23 min: Another chance for Chelsea. After a turnover in play, Cuthbert plays a through ball to Nüsken who hits the ball at Catalina Coll's feet. Share
22 min: Chance for Chelsea. Ramírez picks up the ball on the right and cuts a cross back for Baltimore on the six yard line. Baltimore is unable to connect with the ball though. Share
19 min: Erin Cuthbert has been an engine in the middle of the park so far. The midfielder is closing the Barcelona players down and distributing the ball expertly. That's why Bompastor calls her an 'aggressivity booster.' Share
16 min: Maybe some nerves from Chelsea in the opening period. Lucy Bronze plays a sloppy back pass to Hannah Hampton and the ball goes out of play for a Barcelona corner. Share
14 min: It's been an intense start to the game. Chelsea are pressing high but Barcelona are more than capable of playing out from the back and stretching the Chelsea back line. Millie Bright battles for possession with Ewa Pajor. Photograph: Chelsea Football Club/Share
10 min: Great skill from Nüsken on the touchline. She rolls the ball through the legs of Ona Batlle and sets Sandy Baltimore away with a deft trivela pass. The French left-back, who is playing as a left-winger today, rushes her pass to Ramírez and it comes to nothing. Share
7 min: Mayra Ramírez failed to make much of an impact in the first leg. The Colombian will need to be on top form today to provide Chelsea with a focal point to their attacks. Share
4 min: Barcelona aren't even entertaining the idea of a historic comeback. They're quick to put Chelsea under pressure with Alexia Putellas firing an effort slightly wide from about 20 yards out. Share
3 min: Already Barcelona are settling into a familiar pattern. They keep the ball for fun and find Aitana Bonmatí on the edge of the box. She flicks the ball over Sjoeke Nüsken's head and fires her volley over the bar. Share
1 min: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd receives the ball on the right and there's a huge roar from the crowd as she runs at Fridolina Rolfö. The players will need all the support they can get today. Share
Barcelona kick us off and move the ball from left to right. Share
There's a minute of silence to commemorate the life of Pope Francis. Share Jonathan Liew
A message from Jonathan Liew:
Pretty decent turnout at Stamford Bridge for what most neutral observers assume is going to be a lost cause. Around 25,000 tickets sold, and it does seem like most of them have turned up. The potential to be part of something spectacular – however unlikely the prospect may feel – is a very powerful consumer pull. It's why people buy lottery tickets. It's why people humiliate themselves in the name of love. It's why people – against all their artistic and commercial instincts – still let Woody Allen make movies. Share
The players are making their way to the pitch. Millie Bright looks stern, determined to improve on her performance last week. Before the game, she said: 'Nothing is impossible within football or in sport if you have the right mentality, the right attitude.' Share Tom Garry
Here's a message from Tom Garry at the game:
The bright sunshine has brought smiles to Stamford Bridge but, when it comes to the football, there's not a lot of optimism amongst the Chelsea supporters I've spoken to around the stadium today. Most of them seem to have a sense of realism that what we're about to witness is a Barcelona procession into the final. But there's also that little feeling of 'maybe... what if?' among a minority, and the stadium DJ is currently doing his best to get everybody on their feet with a blast of Rihanna. If Chelsea can score an early goal, perhaps this place will begin to believe... Share
'We know we can beat them but we'll probably have to have the perfect game' said Bompastor to DAZN. 'Maybe wait for them [Barcelona] to make some mistakes' she added.
Chelsea will need to see more of the ball in this game to stand any chance. Bompastor's side only touched the ball 12 times in the opposition box during the first leg and completed just over half as many passes as the home side. Share
The last time Barcelona lost by three goals or more was in the 2019 Champions League final when Lyon beat them 4-1.
Lucy Bronze, who has won five Champions League titles including the 2019 trophy with Lyon, had some strong words for her Chelsea teammates after their first leg defeat. According to Sonia Bompastor, the Chelsea right-back said: 'The second leg is a new opportunity for us, to play a home game with the support of the fans, and we need to believe it's possible to turn things around.' Share
Chelsea: Hampton, Bronze, Bright, Girma, Charles, Walsh, Cuthbert, Nüsken, Kaneryd, Ramírez, Baltimore
Subs: Spencer, Cox, Lawrence, Mpome, Kaptein, Jean-Francois, Hamano, Reiten, Brown, Macario, Beever-Jones
Barcelona: Cata Coll, Paredes, María León, Clàudia Pina, Graham, Alexia, Patri, Aitana, Rolfö, Pajor, Batlle
Subs: Gemma, Roebuck, Jana, Paralluelo, Marta, Vicky, Engen, Brugts, Caño, Schertenleib Share
The statistics make for tough reading from a Chelsea perspective. Check out Tom Garry's match preview. Share
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Women's Champions League semi-final second leg between Chelsea and Barcelona.
Sonia Bompastor faces the biggest challenge of her Chelsea tenure today. In fact Bompastor said: 'I think this one will be probably the biggest one [challenge] in my career as a manager.' Outplayed, outclassed and ultimately outscored in the first leg at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, Chelsea trail Barcelona 4-1 in the Champions League semi-final.
It's a familiar situation for Barcelona who have made light work of Chelsea over the last few years. They beat Chelsea in the semi-final of the last two Champions League campaigns, and in the final of the 2020/21 season when they trounced Chelsea 4-0.
Remontada may be the most overused in football, but if Chelsea were to progress against the originators, it would be one of the greatest comebacks in their history. It looks unlikely but crazier things have happened.
Kick off is at 2pm. Email me to share your thoughts. Share
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Fulham join race for Sterling and interested in Dewsbury-Hall
Fulham have expressed an interest in signing both Raheem Sterling and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea this 30, has no future at Stamford Bridge and is among a group of a dozen or so players training away from the first team in what has been nicknamed the 'bomb squad'.Chelsea's strong preference remains to sell Sterling and they have placed a £20m asking price on the winger, although his £300,000-a-week contract still has two years to run, making any deal out of the club more previously agreed to split the wage when signing him on loan last season, but even a 50-50 split would be a stretch for Fulham's comparatively modest wage would have to compete against Champions League clubs like Bayer Leverkusen, while Juventus and Napoli have also been credited with an interest. They would, however, be attractive to Sterling, who could remain in his family home in London, with his son, Thiago, recently joining Arsenal's Whites remain the only Premier League club yet to make a signing, but they are calm about the situation and aim to keep Marco Silva's current squad together, having made contact to re-sign former loanee Reiss Nelson from Dewsbury-Hall remains valued as a Blues squad player rather than an automatic starter and there is no sense he is pushing for a move, with West Ham also reportedly interested in signing the midfielder if the terms are favourable.


Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Man United outcast Antony 'attracts interest from two Saudi Pro League clubs' - with former Red Devils boss eyeing a stunning reunion with £85m flop
Antony is reportedly attracting interest from two Saudi Pro League clubs as the Manchester United outcast tries to find himself a move this summer. The Brazilian, 25, endured a difficult period at Old Trafford after signing from Ajax in an £86million deal in 2022. He left the club in January on loan to LaLiga club Real Betis, where he enjoyed something of a renaissance, scoring nine goals and providing five assists in 26 appearances. The successful stint has left a number of clubs interested in Antony this summer, with the winger free to find himself a move away from United after losing the trust of Ruben Amorim. Two Saudi Arabian sides are thought to be interested, according to Sky Sports, with Antony reportedly open to a move to the Middle East. But the former Sao Paulo man's preference is stay in Europe after Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich reportedly registered their interest. A return to Real Betis is thought to be unrealistic at this stage. Manchester United - who are looking to sell Antony on a permanent basis - are yet to have received any formal bids for the player despite Bayer Leverkusen and Betis contacting them earlier in the window. A move to Leverkusen would have seen the Brazilian, who is part of United's five-player 'bomb squad', reunite with former United coach Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman, who scooped the Leverkusen job after Xabi Alonso's exit, previously signed Antony on two occasions - bringing him to Ajax from Sao Paulo in 2020 and then to United in 2022. But Ten Hag seemingly ruled out a move for the left-footer in an interview last week, saying the German club are 'not interested'. 'He has great quality,' the 55-year-old said, 'I signed him twice. He was like a son to me, he still is a son to me. 'We're not interested in him at the moment, but we'll see what happens in the future.' During his three years at United, Antony made 96 appearances, scoring 12 goals and providing five assists. The stats read poorly for a player signed for a whopping £86million back in the summer of 2022, with United fans then eagerly awaiting his arrival. His United spell started well as Antony netted in his first three appearances against Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City. He also bagged a crucial goal during his first season during a fixture at Old Trafford against Barcelona, firing home a volley with his left foot. But things turned sour rather quickly, with the winger ultimately left languishing on the bench under both Ten Hag and later Ruben Amorim in his second and third seasons. He now looks set to leave the English giants for good.


Edinburgh Reporter
38 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Scotland win against France at Peffermill
Scotland's senior women's hockey team edged France in a training game at Edinburgh's Peffermill Playing Fields in front of an encouraging crowd. The 2-1 victory was hard-fought and the game is a prelude to a Test double-header at the same venue on Saturday (11.30) and Sunday (11.15) against the same side. The Scots edged ahead in a scrappy game in the first half, which they largely dominated, from a penalty corner converted by Amy Costello, but France levelled seconds from half-time, a real blow. The visitors pressed Scotland in the opening minutes of the second-half but Chris Duncan's side gradually won back control and forced a number of penalty corners which they failed to capitalise on. However, Scotland took full advantage of a mistake in the French defence to net the game-winner in the dying minutes, a slack pass finding Scotland skipper Sarah Robertson who fed Fiona Burnet who fired home from close range. The games come as the Tartan Hearts continue their build-up for the EuroHockey Championships in Monchengladbach, Germany, from August 9 to 17. Coach Duncan said it was a good game in which to get the squad up to speed against a side ranked at No 17 in the world, two placed behind Scotland. He felt the Tartan Hearts were a little disjointed in the first-half but the coaching staff made changes in the second which brought the Scots more momentum. Then his squad started to play with more purpose. As to the failure to take their penalty corner opportunities, Duncan said that Scotland did not want to show their total hand and he added: 'We've kept some moves in the bank.' A Scotland attack Photo Nigel Duncan Charlotte Watson on the charge at Peffermill v France Photo Nigel Duncan Like this: Like Related