There was a moment, shortly before half-time, when the Chelsea left wing-back Niamh Charles thought she had done it. ‘It’ being escaping from one-on-one duel with Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen at the umpteenth time of asking with the ball in her possession.
Charles skated free of the forward, who scrambled to stay on her feet in front of the dugouts, with all the enthusiasm of a child that had just beaten their older sibling in a card game for the first time. Except it was a false alarm, the referee’s whistle halting Charles’ charge and pulling the ball back towards the spot where Graham Hansen was fouled by the England player.
