Chelsea 1-4 Barcelona (agg: 2-8): Brilliant Barça roar into final with Stamford Bridge win

Barcelona are through to their fifth consecutive UEFA Women's Champions League final after defeating Chelsea 4-1 at Stamford Bridge, and 8-2 on aggregate, to book their place in the Lisbon showpiece on 24 May.

Match in brief: Brilliant Barça blow Chelsea away

It was always going to be an uphill task for Chelsea following Barcelona's dominant 4-1 victory in the first leg, and ultimately they were powerless to stop the reigning holders, who once again showed their quality with a scintillating showing.

The Blues tried their best to put their visitors under pressure in the early stages, but Barça looked comfortable up until the 23rd minute, when goalkeeper Cata Coll had to be alert to save Sjoeke Nüsken's low close-range effort with her legs.

Just two minutes later, however, the tie was effectively over as a contest as a silky weaving run from Aitana Bonmatí ended with the two-time Ballon d'Or winner crashing a powerful strike into the roof of the net to stun Stamford Bridge into silence.

Ewa Pajor added another by tapping in from Caroline Graham Hansen's fizzing cross four minutes ahead of the interval, before Clàudia Pina got her tenth of the campaign with a sublime long-range curling strike, leaving Barça in complete control heading into the break.

Chelsea only had pride to play for in the second period, but they gave it their all, with Catarina Macario having a positive impact off the bench and going close on 66 minutes, screwing a shot just wide of the far post.

Aitana Bonmatí celebrates scoring the game's opening goalUEFA via Getty Images

Salma Paralluelo added a fourth of the afternoon late on by taking advantage of some hesitant defending to prod in, though Wieke Kaptein gave the home fans something to cheer about by scoring Chelsea's first-ever goal against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge with a fierce finish.

After this disappointing defeat, Chelsea will now turn their attentions towards securing top spot in the English Women's Super League.

Barcelona, meanwhile, will be looking forward to next month's final in Lisbon, where they will take some stopping based on their performances in both legs of this semi-final.

Visa Player of the Match: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona)

"She struck an outstanding technical solo goal to change the game, opening the scoring and settling the tie. She always wanted the ball to link play and her leadership was visible to help Barcelona manage the game and dictate the rhythm."
UEFA Technical Observer Group

Paul Saffer, match reporter

Barcelona kept Chelsea at bay for 25 minutes and then produced a devastating display to compare with any of their 98 previous Champions League games – up there with their 2021 final demolition of Chelsea. The tie was probably won during the closing minutes in Spain, but the second leg was a reminder of how hard the victors will be to dethrone in Lisbon. Chelsea had a memorable campaign but, for the third year running, Barcelona have been their semi-final nemeses, eclipsing their 2-1 aggregate win last season.

Barcelona will face Arsenal in Lisbon on 24 MayUEFA via Getty Images

Reaction

Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea coach: "It was tough after the first leg, but we still had the belief, especially as we were playing a home game with the support of the fans. I knew if we were able to score the first goal it would make a difference. But I think the difference today, especially in the first half, was the clinical part.

"We created the first opportunities in the game, we couldn't score, and Barcelona only had one and scored their first one. After that, it was difficult for us."

Millie Bright, Chelsea captain: "We started the game really well; for the first 15 or 20 minutes, we had a lot of the ball and were creating chances, just lacking the final touch or pass. Barcelona have extremely good technical ability and they had three chances and three goals. You can't make those mistakes against these opponents, and being 3-0 behind at half-time was too much to come back from.

"At half-time, we spoke about pride and giving the fans something to cheer about. Credit to the team – they never gave in. There are a lot of lessons for next year and hopefully we'll be back."

Aitana Bonmatí, Barcelona midfielder: "What we are doing is unbelievable and I am very proud of my team as it is not easy to make it into another final. We always try to play a great game – not only scoring goals but also playing a good style of football.

"The first leg was an amazing game; we played very well. Today, we started a little bit with doubts because Chelsea had chances to score, then we started to play better and keep the ball and play as we should do – and we won."

Ewa Pajor, Barcelona forward: "I am very happy, but our goal is to win the Champions League. We played very well in these two games against Chelsea. We played how we want and we have to keep going. I am new to Barça this season and the way the players and staff want to improve is amazing.

"It's amazing to be part of this club and a big privilege to play with these players. I want to learn from them every day."

Key stats

• Chelsea have now lost five of their six Women's Champions League semi-final ties.
• This was the Blues' only home defeat in this season's Women's Champions League (W4 L1).
• Barcelona have still never lost a Women's Champions League tie after winning the first leg.
• Barça have lost just two of their last 28 Women's Champions League matches (W24 D2).
• Clàudia Pina is the top scorer in this season's tournament with ten goals.

Line-ups

Chelsea: Hampton; Bronze, Girma (Lawrence 46), Bright, Charles; Walsh, Cuthbert (Macario 61), Nüsken; Rytting Kaneryd (Hamano 74), Ramírez (Beever-Jones 46), Baltimore (Kaptein 61)

Barcelona: Cata Coll; Batlle, Paredes (Fernández 62), Maria León (Engen 46), Rolfö; Aitana, Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas; Graham Hansen (Paralluelo 62), Pajor (López 76), Pina (Brugts 62)