May 17 – FC Barcelona blew Chelsea away 4-0 to win the Women’s Champions League and become the first club to win the both the European men’s and women’s Champions League competitions.
Chelsea’s first Women’s Champions League final – and the first English finalists since Arsenal in 2007 – became a chastening experience, with the London club outplayed and outscored by a vastly superior Spanish opponent.
Behind closed doors in Gothenburg, Sweden, the Spanish club left no doubt about their intentions with an early blitz that completely shattered Chelsea had harbored of winning the final. Within 36 minutes, Barcelona had four goals on the scoreboard – a first-minute own goal and another three from the midfielders Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí and the Norwegian forward Caroline Graham Hansen – to end the match as a contest.
Barcelona’s form was reflective of their domestic dominance, having played 26 and won 26 on the way to a La Liga title with eight games to play, scoring 129 goals and conceding only five in the process.
In the second half, Chelsea offered a spirited display, but there was no coming back against Barcelona, a team that had carved open the WSL champions time and again.
“Today was difficult because the game was over before it began and that is what makes it difficult to reflect on,” said Chelsea coach Emma Hayes. “The players gave it everything. Barcelona are worthy winners and deserving of their title. We will learn from it because this is the next step and we showed some naivety at times.
“You have to stay in the game against this team, and the early goal and the manner in which we conceded it and the penalty, and we were 2-0 down.”
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1736446207labto1736446207ofdlr1736446207owedi1736446207sni@o1736446207fni1736446207