Barca beat Chelsea to reach Women's Champions League final

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Jonatan Giraldez's side took the lead through Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea's Kadeisha Buchanan was sent off in the second half for a contentious second booking.

And Fridolina Rolfo wrapped up Barcelona's 2-1 aggregate victory with a debatable penalty. In the final in Bilbao on May 25, Barca will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Lyon, who meet in the second leg of their semi-final on Sunday with Lyon holding a 3-2 lead.

It will be Barca's fourth successive final berth as they look to lift the trophy for the third time. "We are very happy. We deserved the victory. The first leg we were not better than the opponent. Today we created more clear chances," Giraldez said. "The connection with the players is amazing. I'm proud of them. I'm really happy to get another final. It's special."

Chelsea's first-leg victory last week is the only defeat Barca have suffered this season, ending the club's five-year unbeaten record on home turf. But Blues boss Emma Hayes, who leaves to take charge of the USA women's national team at the of this season, said Chelsea would have to produce a perfect display to overcome "the best team in the world" again in the rematch.

Chelsea were unable to rise to the challenge and their wait for a first Champions League crown goes on. They have now lost to Barca in successive Champions League semi-finals after being beaten by the Spanish club in the 2021 final. In another sign of the hugely increased popularity of the women's game in England, Stamford Bridge was sold out to its 39,398 capacity for the first time for a female fixture.

But the Chelsea fans were destined to go home disappointed, with Bonmati firing an early warning shot that Hannah