LONDON — An early aim by Caroline Graham Hansen arrange Barcelona’s 1-0 win at Chelsea within the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semifinal on Saturday.
Graham Hansen put Barcelona forward simply 4 minutes into the match at Stamford Bridge when the Norway ahead minimize in from the proper and drilled a long-range shot into the highest nook.
Substitute Marta Torrejón nearly grabbed a second aim for the guests when she headed off the put up within the 82nd.
The different semifinal on Sunday has Arsenal at Wolfsburg.
The sport was a rematch of the 2021 European last, when Barcelona routed Chelsea 4-0 to win its first continental title. Graham Hansen scored the fourth and last aim for Barcelona.
Her newest aim gave Barcelona 36 on this competitors, greater than the opposite semifinalists. It was Graham Hansen’s first aim on this competitors after lacking a lot of the season with a thigh damage.
PHOTOS: Barcelona beats Chelsea 1-0 in Women’s CL semifinal 1st leg
“It was just one of these moments you get the ball, everything fits when you go for it and you know it’s going to be a goal,” Graham Hansen mentioned.
“We deserved this result, Chelsea didn’t have too many good chances. It’s just a pity we didn’t come away with a couple of goals more.”
Instead of falling aside within the first half as in 2021, when Barcelona netted all 4 of its targets inside the first 40 minutes, Chelsea held agency in protection regardless of by no means mounting a lot of a risk in assault.
With Barcelona apparently content material to take a seat on its lead with the return leg at house, Chelsea got here near equalizing solely on the half-hour mark. Barcelona wanted defender Lucy Bronze to dam a goal-bound shot by Guro Reiten after she was performed by means of by Sam Kerr and rounded goalkeeper Sandra Paños.
Barcelona upped the stress after halftime, although, and prime playmaker Aitana Bonmati acquired extra concerned with touches within the midfield. After that, Chelsea hardly ever had the ball in Barcelona’s half and was lucky to nonetheless be within the tie.
Chelsea reached the ultimate 4 after stunning titleholder Lyon in a penalty shootout within the quarterfinals. It might want to pull off one other upset on Thursday at Camp Nou.
“It’s 1-0, the tie’s not over,” Chelsea coach Emma Hayes mentioned. “I remember it was completely over after 25 minutes (in the 2021 final) but they are the best footballing team in the world and I cannot ask for any more from the players today.”
Barcelona entered the tie on a run of 60 consecutive Spanish league wins, together with all 25 video games this season – its final home loss was in July 2021 – regardless that it could actually’t rely on two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.
The midfielder has returned to crew coaching after tearing her ACL final July. But she was not on the squad for Saturday’s sport. After the ultimate whistle, she congratulated her teammates for the victory that provides them a powerful likelihood of returning to the ultimate for a 3rd straight 12 months.
Torrejón needed to exchange Bronze, an England participant, for an obvious leg damage halfway by means of the second half.
Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez mentioned Bronze “felt pain in the knee but I think she’s fine right now.”
The crowd of 27,697 was a report for a British sport within the Women’s Champions League.
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