The Champions League ultimate 2021 can be Chelsea’s crown after a number of years of home dominance. As a substitute, it grew to become an entire nightmare when Barcelona ran in Gothenburg to deservedly raise the trophy for the primary time themselves.
Barça have been unstoppable from the second 2017’s finest FIFA ladies’s participant Lieke Martens struck firstly of 20 seconds and took the lead due to a freak personal objective in the following melee.
Barcelona lifted the trophy two years after their very own embarrassment within the Champions League | JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / Getty Photographs
The Spanish champions doubled their benefit in consequence of a comfortable penalty, however their swarming strain stifled Chelsea’s vary of stars on a regular basis, whereas their quick passes and excessive tempo assaults made it tough to get near them. A 4-0 lead at halftime didn’t flatter them.
Barça eased up after the interval, permitting Chelsea to enhance, though 4-0 was the way it stayed.
This was not luck from Barça, quite the end result of a journey of its personal. Two years earlier, they themselves had been humiliated within the Champions League ultimate by a dominant Lyon. At that time, it was 4-0 after half an hour and Ada Hegerberg did a 17-minute hat-trick.
Barça had already been the place Chelsea have been on Sunday evening. However they regrouped after the 2019 humble, discovered invaluable classes from the expertise and grew to become a lot stronger for it, to the purpose the place they may filter out the identical punishment that they had as soon as acquired.
Barcelona blew away Chelsea through the first half in Gothenburg | David Lidstrom / Getty Photographs
Nearly all of the Barça crew in 2019 returned in 2021 and there will likely be no want for Chelsea and Emma Hayes to tear it down and begin once more within the pursuit of European glory. Feelings are uncooked now, however this momentary setback can function a very important springboard to finally get there.
The squad must be adjusted in key positions, simply as Barças have been after 2019 – Jenni Hermoso and Caroline Graham Hansen each arrived the identical summer time – however a robust core of Chelsea gamers who can win the Champions League are already in place.
Emma Hayes was assistant coach when Arsenal gained the UEFA Girls’s Cup, because the Champions League was beforehand recognized, in 2007 and her thirst to construct a crew in Chelsea that may match what has existed since day one and can solely get stronger now that she has been so shut.
Emma Hayes has been constructing in the direction of Champions League glory for 9 years | JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / Getty Photographs
“I feel [Hayes] set this imaginative and prescient way back, again in 2012 when she got here, to turn out to be a aggressive, title-winning crew in Europe, former Chelsea and England striker Eniola Aluko instructed 90 minutes within the ultimate.
“Emma Hayes has all the time talked concerning the Champions League. I feel that after the primary time we performed within the Champions League 2015, it has been the objective since then to proceed to develop within the competitors. ”
The lasting imaginative and prescient won’t have modified in gentle of Sunday’s defeat.
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