Chelsea produced a remarkable turnaround to defeat Manchester City 3-0 in the second leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final on Thursday, March 27th, overturning a two-goal first-leg deficit to advance 3-2 on aggregate. The victory sets up a semi-final clash against holders Barcelona.
The encounter at Stamford Bridge was the fourth meeting between the two English giants this month, with Chelsea having previously beaten City in the League Cup final and the Women’s Super League, while City won the first leg of this European tie 2-0.
Chelsea started brightly and took the lead in the 14th minute. Lucy Bronze’s initial shot hit the post, but Sandy Baltimore reacted quickest to score the rebound past City goalkeeper Khiara Keating.
Sonia Bompastor’s side doubled their advantage in the 38th minute when Nathalie Bjorn headed home Baltimore’s corner. Mayra Ramirez added a third five minutes later, finishing effectively from a Lauren James cross to put Chelsea ahead on aggregate before halftime.
Manchester City fought back in the second half, creating several clear opportunities to get back into the tie. However, Vivianne Miedema, Mary Fowler, and Kerolin all failed to convert their chances.
Chelsea remained largely in control, and Keating made late saves to deny substitute Aggie Beever-Jones and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, preventing a wider margin of victory for the hosts.
“We were never in doubt. We had full confidence in ourselves. We could have had way more than three goals,” Chelsea captain Millie Bright said post-match. “We are a new team, we are on a new journey, we are in a new era. Bring it on.”
Chelsea will now face Barcelona, who defeated VfL Wolfsburg 10-2 on aggregate, in a repeat of last year’s semi-final. The other semi-final will see record eight-time winners Olympique Lyonnais take on Arsenal. The final is scheduled for May 24th in Lisbon.
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