Chelsea’s wait for a first Women’s Champions League trophy continues following their defeat by Barcelona in the semi-finals. Manager Emma Hayes believes the “gap is closing” on Europe’s elite, however, after her side drew 1-1 with Barcelona in the second leg of their semi-final at the Nou Camp on Thursday. Despite the 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in the first leg proving costly, Hayes was proud of her team’s performance and believes they could have gone on to win had there been more time. She said: “We’re disappointed. I don’t know too many teams that come here and be as brave as we were. There’s no denying you have to survive in the first part of the game. It was an incredibly intimidating environment. My players executed the gameplan. I’m just really proud of them and disappointed with the result. I’m not frustrated. We’re not going through because of the home tie. If there was a little bit longer in the game I think we would have gone on and won it.”
Chelsea’s defensive performance in Spain showed clear development from their 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona in the final two years ago, as Barcelona had moments of quality but did not have a shot on target in the first half. Last season’s runners-up have been formidable at the Nou Camp this season, scoring an average of 4.6 goals in the Champions League, so Chelsea’s draw was reward for a brilliant defensive display across two legs.
Former Chelsea and England defender Laura Bassett believes they have found a blueprint for how to compete against Europe’s elite, saying: “They have done everything Hayes has asked them to do. The courage, the bravery, the execution has been second to none. The mentality she speaks about – these players have it. They have set a new level and maybe a blueprint of how to get closer. I’m not saying beat Barcelona, but certainly how to prevent them [from dominating]. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen Barcelona have minimal shots on target, so defensively Chelsea have been superb, it’s just finding the balance.”