Chelsea’s Champions League dream remains alive. A single-goal defeat by Barcelona in their semi-final first leg provided enough positives and a narrow enough margin for the second leg at the Camp Nou to look slightly less daunting. “You have to be in the tie, that was my big message,” said Emma Hayes. “We’re in the tie.”
More than 700 days since the 2021 final, in which Chelsea succumbed to a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Barça, there was a chance for a little redemption at Stamford Bridge. Of the starting XI that played in that bruising final in Gothenburg, six were on the teamsheet to start.
