Desperation flooded the Montjuïc countryside, which, more than a magical mountain, this week has risen like a cursed place. And it had been five years since any team had beaten the culé club at its own home. And even less with a match full of interruptions by Chelsea that forced the referee to add nine minutes in the second half, between whistles and complaints from the fans every time a player blue He remained on the ground for a while. “I am not in favor of these interruptions. We had already talked about Chelsea playing like that. For me he plays dirty. We had warned the referees. But it doesn’t depend on us, because no matter how hard we try, if the referee wants to allow them to throw and waste time, we have to learn to play like that,” Aitana Bonmatí analyzed after the tough match. Irene Paredes was not surprised either: “Last year they did the same thing to us, and we have seen it from the beginning.”
0
Cata Coll, Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Fridolina Rolfö, Ingrid Engen, Patri Guijarro, Keira Walsh, Aitana Bonmatí, Salma Paralluelo, Caroline Graham Hansen and Mariona Caldentey
1
Hannah Hampton, Kadeisha Buchanan, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Erin Cuthbert, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Ashley Lawrence, Sjoeke Nüsken, Melanie Leupolz, Mayra Ramírez and Lauren James
Goals 0-1 min. 39: Erin Cuthbert.
Referee Stephanie Frappart
Yellow cards Patri Guijarro (min. 79) and Irene Paredes (min. 82)
“We knew that they would try to play a long game, with little rhythm, try to play as little as possible, and have long possession,” Jonatan Giráldez, Barça coach, also confessed in the press conference after the game, where he assured that the game It was very even. And he added: “There are things allowed within the regulations, and I can’t say anything. They played a great game, the one they wanted, and they achieved it. “We, in the second leg, have to try to play as much time as possible to be in the final.”
A defeat that aroused despair among the players. A midfield ruled by Chelsea, a rival area impossible to penetrate and an aim that was not on the part of the Barça players. “We lacked a goal, which is the most important thing. Many things have been done well, but there are many others that we must improve,” said Paredes, who tried to send a message of calm. “The start to the game has been good, we have had some clear arrivals. They only had one chance in the first half, which ended in a goal. Later, when you have the need to go for the game, you rush,” Giráldez explained about his team’s inaccuracies that blocked opportunities to come back. “We could have been more patient, that was what Jonatan told us at half-time,” added Keira Walsh.
Barcelona was overcome by anguish, Chelsea had plenty of peace of mind. “I have told them (the players) that we are in one more game. Calm down. Sometimes we think too much. We have managed to stop Barcelona and their chances, and for that we have to put everything in,” explained Emma Hayes at a press conference, where she did not want to talk about tactics. But she did confess who she thought was the favorite to advance to the final: “They will come to Stamford Bridge knowing that they beat us last year in our stadium. It will be a very tough game.”
For Giráldez, the tie is still open, and everything will be decided in London in a week. For the coach, confidence is complete, but he predicts a game very similar to the first leg. They start with a great virtue: being unpredictable. “If there is something that we are not, it is predictable, due to the ability to swap positions between the players.” “Obviously we are disappointed, but it doesn’t end here. If anyone can turn it around, it is this team,” encouraged Walsh. “It is a defeat, but being the first part of the semifinal, we will still have a chance. “There are 90 minutes left,” Giráldez concluded. The eliminatory, open. The sensations, bittersweet.
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