Barcelona will head to Lisbon next month hoping to successfully defend their European title for a second season in a row after humbling Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Leading 4-1 from the first leg in Catalunya, the holders wasted no time at all in putting this Champions League semi-final tie well and truly to bed, racing into a 3-0 lead before half-time in an eventual 4-1 win at a ground where they've now won on each of their three visits.
There were chances for Chelsea to get back into this affair before Barca killed it, too. Sandy Baltimore just couldn't connect properly with Mayra Ramirez's cutback and Sjoeke Nusken was denied by Cata Coll when she raced through one-on-one in a hectic sequence at the midway point of the first half, one which came only two minutes before Aitana Bonmati all-but-secured Barcelona's passage to the final. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner was granted far too much space throughout the encounter and she made the Blues pay when her thumping finish broke the deadlock.
Ewa Pajor's close-range finish, after sublime wide play by Caroline Graham Hansen, doubled that lead just before half-time, and then Claudia Pina added a sensational third with a curling strike from range. It was more than enough to win a tie that was well out of Chelsea's reach before it even reached their own patch, in truth, giving Barcelona a shot at a Champions League three-peat next month while leaving the Blues with plenty of food for thought going into next season.
There was at least a late consolation for the home fans to cheer, delivered to them by Wieke Kaptein, but only after Salma Paralluelo was able to profit from a defensive mishap between Niamh Charles and Hannah Hampton that summed up a hugely disappointing tie from the Blues' perspective.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge...
