FC Barcelona Reach Fifth Successive Women’s Champions League Final

European champions FC Barcelona saw off the challenge of Chelsea for the third successive season to reach a record-equalling fifth Women’s Champions League final in a row.

Leading 4-1 from the first leg played last Sunday in Spain, Barcelona increased their advantage today at Stamford Bridge to reach their sixth Champions League final in seven seasons.

Despite a forceful start by the home side, they failed to make the crucial early breakthrough which they required to overturn the aggregate scoreline. Barcelona made them pay on the counter-attack. In the 25th minute, the Ballon D’Or winner Aitana Bomatí raced half the length of the field before smashing the ball past England goalkeeper at her near post.

Aitana had incredibly scored at the same end of the same ground on the same day of 2024. That goal also came in the second leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final. Then, it brought Barcelona back into the tie after they had lost the first leg at home, now it effectively killed the tie. The goal was Aitana’s 26th in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, moving her level with her former team-mate Jenni Hermoso as Spain’s leading goalscorer in the history of the competition.

Sixteen minutes later, Caroline Graham Hansen danced her way to the touchline before squaring the ball across the six yard area for Ewa Pajor to tap in. Pajor has now scored 33 Champions League goals, moving her into 15th position on the all-time list of scorers.

Chelsea barely had time to regroup before the competition’s top scorer, Claudia Pina curled a majestic effort into the top corner of Hampton’s goal. It was the forward’s 10th goal in the competiton this season. Not always a starter in the side, Pina’s 10 goals have come in eight matches at an incredible average of a goal every 42 minutes.

Having also won the competition in 2021 and lost the final in 2022, Barcelona have now reached a fifth consecutive final. This has only previously been achieved by Real Madrid men’s team (1956-60) and Olympique Lyonnais women’s team (2016-2020).

Both of those teams won each of those five finals, something Barcelona cannot achieve this season. However, they could join another elite group of teams if they retain the Champions League title.

Winners of the competition for the past two seasons, FC Barcelona will aim to win a third consecutive title in next month’s final in Lisbon, joining a rare groups of teams in the history of the sport – Real Madrid, Ajax, FC Bayern in the men’s game and Olympique Lyonnais in the women’s.

Chelsea, now led by former Lyon head coach Sonia Bompastor, are on the brink of securing a sixth consecutive English league title and remain unbetaen in the Women’s Super League. Having already won the Women’s League Cup and reaching the final of the Women’s FA Cup, they, like Barcelona, had been on course to win all four competitions they had entered this season – the so-called quadruple.

That dream is now over. They have gone out of the only competition the club has never before won at the semi-final stage for the fourth time – and the third year in a row against Barcelona. Indeed, having also lost the 2022 final to the Catalan side, Barcelona has now ended Chelsea’s Champions League hopes in four of the past five seasons.