Chelsea beats Barcelona 1-0 in 1st leg of Women's Champions League semifinals

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Erin Cuthbert fired Chelsea to a 1-0 win over Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League semifinal first-leg match on Saturday, handing the defending champions their first home loss in five years.

Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas missed a glorious chance to equalize when she shot wide from close range on the last play of the game at Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium to send Emma Hayes' team back to Stamford Bridge with the advantage.

The visitors took away the time and space Barcelona normally enjoys in its domestic league, with the home team failing to get a shot on target.

The high pressure led to the 40th minute goal when forward Mayra Ramirez forced a turnover, setting up Sjoeke Nüsken's pass to Cuthbert, who beat a defender and fired the ball into the top right corner to stun the crowd of 36,428.

“It’s just halftime, nobody should get carried away with that,” Hayes told broadcaster DAZN. “I’m disappointed we didn’t get the second goal. They are world class in everything they do. You have to expect they’re going to create chances, but I think for the most part we limited them.”

Chelsea has never won the Women's Champions League or its predecessor, the UEFA Women’s Cup. In its only final appearance, Hayes' team was routed by Barcelona 4-0 in 2021.

Barcelona, which also eliminated Chelsea last season en route to its second title, was set for a penalty after a 52nd-minute handball on Blues defender Kadeisha Buchanan, but it was overturned on video review because Salma Paralluelo was offside. Paralluelo also misfired on a good scoring opportunity late in the game.

Barcelona's squad includes reigning Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati and several other members of Spain's World Cup-winning team. Its last home defeat was in February 2019.

The Catalan team is going for its third title in four years but has work to do in next Saturday's second-leg match in London.

“They played well, but we have lots of things we can improve because we did not attack with the precision we are accustomed to,” Barcelona defender Irene Paredes said. “They got the game they wanted. They were trying to let the clock tick from the very start, and then they got their goal. You have to give credit to the way they defended and hung in there.”

Later, Paris Saint-Germain plays at eight-time champion Lyon.

The game at Groupama Stadium is expected to

break the attendance record

for a Lyon women’s home match with more than 35,000 tickets sold. The current record is 30,661 from a Lyon-PSG match in 2019. The second leg will be at Parc des Princes the following Sunday.

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