The Barça footballers entertained themselves on the field celebrating the victory that tasted like glory, greeting the fans who had traveled to London and savoring their place in the club’s fourth consecutive Champions League final. “We don’t want it to be our daily bread. That’s the problem. The work we do all season has to be valued. We have resolved an important match, and now we are going to Bilbao,” Cata Coll confessed after the match. A ticket to San Mamés that was not easy, but with which they did not give up hope. “We have not stopped believing, and we have achieved it. “This team knows how to overcome these difficult moments,” said Aitana Bonmatí, the MVP of the semifinal that tied the tie. After scoring, she kissed the shield: “It was a very necessary goal for the game, there was still a lot to go and we needed to focus.” “I’ve had ramps everywhere. I asked for the change because I believed that another player could give more than me”, she wanted to clarify the Ballon d’Or, that she ruled out having an injury and set her sights on the final on May 25.
0
Hannah Hampton, Kadeisha Buchanan, Niamh Charles, Jess Carter, Melanie Leupolz, Sjoeke Nüsken, Ashley Lawrence, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Erin Cuthbert, Catarina Macário and Lauren James
2
Cata Coll, Ona Batlle, Lucy Bronze, Irene Paredes, Ingrid Engen, Aitana Bonmatí, Patri Guijarro, Keira Walsh, Caroline Graham Hansen, Fridolina Rolfö and Salma Paralluelo
Goals 0-1 min. 25: Aitana Bonmatí. 0-2 min. 74: Fridolina Rolfö.
Referee Iuliana Elena Demetrescu
Yellow cards Kadeisha Buchanan (min. 54) and Niamh Charles (min. 87)
“It’s not easy, what this team has done is something great. Mentally we were all convinced of coming back, and in general we have controlled it well,” stated Patri Guijarro. The players did not lose hope despite arriving at Stamford Bridge at a disadvantage. “We were calm, we knew that it depended on us and that with a good game the chances would come,” Ona Batlle highlighted. Jonatan Giráldez, for his part, appeared smiling, congratulating the victory of the subsidiary as champion of the League. And with his words he underlined his happiness. It was the first time, as a coach, that he experienced a tie losing the first leg. “Getting to another final has been very complicated. Today we saw a great game, and we were superior. We have been better with 11 and with 10. The fact of winning and how we have done it has a lot of merit,” confessed the Vigo coach at a press conference.
In the 59th minute, Buchanan was sent off after two yellow cards, and in the 75th minute a penalty came in favor of Barcelona for a foul by Carter on Aitana. “It’s a Champions League semi-final, and it’s about having chances. Whoever gets them, wins. We have been lucky with the expulsion and the penalty, but we also have to generate, and we have done it,” Cata stated. A penalty that Fridolina Rolfö took, and that served to give the final pass to the final. “I love these situations. I felt the pressure, but I was calm and knew what I wanted to do. Aitana has created the opportunity for us and it has been easy to go there and do it,” explained the Swedish player about launching her.
For Giráldez, the refereeing decisions have been “part of the match”, although Emma Hayes has not been satisfied with them, and even less so with Iuliana Demetrescu, the referee of the match: “I was surprised when they chose her because she is known for her easy yellow cards . I thought it was the worst decision in the history of the UEFA Champions League. I am devastated for the players. “They robbed us.” “For me the most important thing is to have good management of emotions, and here I think we have been better than Chelsea. Evaluations of the result are sometimes not fair. In the first leg we did not deserve that result, and in moments like these we have to give the players peace of mind,” added the Barça coach.
On the horizon, the final in Bilbao, with two possible opponents: PSG or Olympique Lyonnais, an old acquaintance. “I don’t care who against, I want to win the final,” Cata was confident. “Hopefully at some point we can beat them,” Patri confessed about a hypothetical final with Olympique. And Ona also made it clear: “We are waiting for them in the final with a lot of hope of beating them.”
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