Sam Kerr has endured a irritating 90 minutes as her Chelsea crew misplaced the house leg of their Girls’s Champions League semi-final tie in opposition to Barcelona 1-0.
The Australia captain was diminished to feeding off scraps because the Catalan giants dominated possession at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, although they had been unable so as to add to Caroline Graham Hansen’s elegant fourth-minute purpose.
Kerr had one shot properly saved and created a few openings however was in any other case well-marshalled by the Barca defence. Including to her frustration was a harsh reserving.
Chelsea should now win within the Nou Camp subsequent weekend to succeed in the ultimate within the Dutch metropolis of Eindhoven on 3 June, a tall order given Barcelona’s formidable residence report.
The opposite semi-final first leg, between Wolfsburg and Arsenal, is on Sunday [2330 AEST]. Steph Catley is in rivalry to return for the injury-hit Gunners however the tie could come too early for fellow Matilda Caitlin Foord.
Saturday’s match was filled with gamers who will quickly be heading Down Beneath for the Girls’s World Cup, although England will hope star defender Lucy Bronze is match to take action after she hobbled off with a knee harm lower than 24 hours after captain Leah Williamson was dominated out with an ACL harm.
Barcelona fielded 5 of the XI who destroyed Chelsea 4-0 within the 2021 ultimate however world participant of the 12 months Alexei Putellas, who skilled right here on the eve of the tie, was not match sufficient to make the bench.
Six of the Chelsea aspect had began that ignominious evening in Gothenburg, together with Kerr. Among the many absentees was injured England centre-half Millie Brilliant.
With Canada’s Kadeisha Buchanan additionally out, it was a makeshift again 5 that confronted a Barcelona crew which had received 35 of 36 matches this marketing campaign and scored 35 targets of their earlier eight European ties.
Purpose No. 36 wasn’t lengthy in coming. Norway’s Graham Hansen picked up the ball on the proper, drifted inside previous a number of ineffectual challenges, and whipped a 20-yard shot contained in the far submit.
Chelsea, with co-owner Todd Boehly watching on from excessive within the West Stand, had been then penned inside their very own half, the occasional lengthy ball for Kerr to chase their solely outlet.
It was halfway by way of the half earlier than the house followers had one thing to get enthusiastic about with Kerr and Guro Reiten combining to threaten on a trio of events.
A one-two with the Norwegian led to a Kerr shot that had Sandra Panos scrambling throughout purpose to avoid wasting.
The Matildas captain then arrange Reiten to attain, just for Kerr to be dominated marginally offside.
The Aussie then once more launched Reiten who rounded Panos just for Bronze to clear off the road.
That, although, was largely it for Chelsea’s assault with Kerr more and more remoted even after Lauren James, sister of England defender Reece, got here on to assist her.
Making Kerr’s afternoon worse was a harsh reserving for a late problem on Bronze – unconnected together with her later harm.
Marta Torrejon’s header caught the submit for Barcelona and Ann-Katrin Berger denied Sweden’s Fridolina Rolfo, however Chelsea saved the rating down and the tie alive, simply.
