'best Display Of Season' But Chelsea Rue Missed Opportunity

Having suffered plentifulness of past heartache astatine Barcelona's expense, Chelsea whitethorn person ordinarily celebrated a 1-1 tie pinch them successful nan Women's Champions League.

But this was a missed opportunity.

Chelsea were nan amended broadside connected nan night, dominating astir of nan first half and creating plentifulness of goalscoring opportunities.

They led for 8 minutes earlier failing to clear a area and allowing Ewa Pajor to pounce connected nan loose ball, cancelling retired Ellie Carpenter's delicious opener.

Australian Carpenter should person scored nan victor excessively but dragged her close-range decorativeness wide pinch 10 minutes to spell and only nan keeper to beat.

It was possibly successful that infinitesimal head Sonia Bompastor knew their chance to hit Barcelona had gone.

Substitute Catarina Macario besides had a extremity ruled retired for a marginal offside, and erstwhile nan full-time whistle yet went, nan Blues leader shook her caput successful vexation arsenic her broadside dropped to sixth successful nan convention shape array - 2 points down their Spanish visitors successful first place.

This was an awesome capacity and a drastic betterment from their 8-2 aggregate conclusion by Barcelona successful past season's semi-finals - but their deficiency of ruthlessness yet proved costly and denied them nan triumph they craved.

"I deliberation it is frustrating not to person won nan game, particularly erstwhile you look astatine nan statistic and nan chances we had," said Bompastor.

"We had opportunities to triumph truthful I'm disappointment for that reason, but wide location were besides a batch of positives to take.

"We cognize successful nan Champions League and successful nan important games we request to beryllium clinical. We person spoken astir that and my players are trying truthful hard.

"I'm really pleased pinch nan performance. Everyone worked difficult and I deliberation erstwhile we are playing astatine this level, we tin put successful performances for illustration this one."

It was not only Bompastor who could not hide her disappointment astatine full-time arsenic Chelsea's players flapped their arms, puffed retired their cheeks and stood pinch their hands connected their hips, wondering what much they could person done.

They person been chasing an elusive European title for respective years and it is Barcelona who person proved to beryllium their nemesis, knocking them retired successful 4 of nan past 5 Champions League campaigns.

Former Chelsea defender Anita Asante told BBC Two: "This is an opportunity missed for Chelsea. This is nan champion opportunity they had to hit Barcelona and besides jump into nan apical 4 [of nan convention shape table].

"This is nan champion capacity I've seen from Chelsea each season. They will beryllium delighted pinch really they approached nan crippled and executed nan gameplan. They disappointment Barcelona and created nan 3 champion chances."

Barcelona head Pere Romeu admitted it was a "very different" Chelsea to nan 1 they hit comfortably successful past season's last-four tie.

Bompastor said nan quality was down to her strategies - she had been "too ambitious" past play and modified their set-up arsenic a consequence connected Thursday night, making judge they were little susceptible retired of possession.

Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze told BBC Two: "It was frustrating because we consciousness for illustration we could person won nan crippled connected nan night. We astir apt had nan amended chances.

"Coming into nan game, no-one expected it to move retired for illustration that - possibly isolated from ourselves astatine Chelsea.

"I was saying to Naomi Girma aft nan crippled that we were playing chess."

Girma was nan then-world grounds signing erstwhile Chelsea spent £900,000 to bring her successful from San Diego Wave successful January - truthful expectations were ever high.

The 25-year-old has struggled to settle, though, having been plagued by a knee wounded that put a dampener connected her eagerly-awaited presence and constricted her minutes.

But nan USA defender showcased precisely why Chelsea were consenting to salary nan large bucks pinch a colossal show against Europe's elite side.

"Girma won't get nan plaudits for illustration different Chelsea players will, but she was defensively solid," said London City Lionesses guardant Nikita Parris connected BBC Two.

"Any clip she needed to recover, pinch her speed, she was there. She tin beryllium proud of her performance, particularly coming backmost from nan knee wounded she's had."

Girma's biggest infinitesimal came successful nan first half erstwhile she sprinted crossed nan six-yard area to artifact Caroline Graham Hansen's goalbound strike.

It came conscionable a infinitesimal earlier Carpenter went up nan different extremity and thumped nan shot past goalkeeper Cata Coll to put Chelsea 1-0 up.

When Barcelona tried to find a measurement done successful nan 2nd half, they could not, mostly because Girma publication each their attacking ideas and put a extremity to them.

Was this her champion capacity for Chelsea?

"Yeah, astir apt 1 of nan best," admitted Bompastor. "She is simply a awesome subordinate and we cognize her quality. It has been a shame for her not to beryllium capable to play much for us.

"Now she is backmost and we request to support her connected nan transportation because you could spot she is simply a awesome subordinate who has a batch of acquisition and tin bring tons of quality."