Barcelona next? “Bring it on.”
That was the response from Chelsea captain Millie Bright after her side booked a third successive semi-final meeting with the Spanish giants in the Women’s Champions League.
Belief is rife in the Chelsea squad and it was on show in abundance as they swept aside Manchester City in a ruthless display at Stamford Bridge to overturn a first-leg deficit.
Sonia Bompastor’s side had work to do having come away from Manchester trailing 2-0 in the tie – but one thing this Chelsea side know how to do is win.
“We were never in doubt. We had full confidence in ourselves. We could have had way more than three goals,” said Bright.
“[We have an] unbelievable mentality and desire to come back. It was a true Chelsea performance.
“We are a new team, we are on a new journey, we are in a new era. Bring it on.”
All-English Champions League final on cards as last four confirmed
Chelsea’s hunt for European glory has been halted by Barcelona in successive seasons – but this year the Blues have an added incentive.
A quadruple is on the cards with Chelsea having already won the Women’s League Cup, while they are eight points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League and into the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals.
“The quadruple mentality is back on,” former Chelsea midfielder Karen Carney said on TNT Sports.
“They are not stopping, they are a train and when they are on it, you can’t stop them. They will be thinking ‘we want that quadruple and we are not going to stop’.”
Bompastor says she is not allowing herself to think about a four-trophy haul, but Chelsea’s ambitions are clear – and the way they dispatched City on Thursday suggests they are up to the challenge.
“We had all the belief coming into this game that we were capable of turning it around,” Bright told BBC Sport.
“We were fully confident and [knew we] just needed to be ruthless. It was a true Chelsea performance. The fans were incredible.
“It’s all about the mentality and belief and everyone stepping up and delivering.”
Chelsea were far superior in every department, with Sandy Baltimore, Nathalie Bjorn and Mayra Ramirez on the scoresheet in an explosive first-half display.
They pressed City intensely and finished clinically to take an aggregate lead, but could have added more to their tally with Bjorn and Erin Cuthbert hitting the woodwork, while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Ramirez missed further chances.
“This is the Chelsea we know, this is the Chelsea that just get it done. It was about energy, hunger, desire,” said former Blues striker Eni Aluko.
“The quadruple is important, but the Champions League is the one that has eluded them.
“Even if they don’t do the quadruple, if they win the Champions League, that will be the one the players have tried to do for years.
“The owners brought Bompastor in because she has done it.”
‘In football everything is possible’
To finally win the Champions League, Chelsea will have to get past a Barca side who have ended their European dream in three of the past four seasons.
The Catalans won 4-0 in the 2021 final and then knocked Chelsea out in the semi-finals in 2023 and 2024 on the way to lifting the trophy.
Those painful memories, along with Bompastor’s defeats against Barcelona while manager at Lyon, will act as added motivation next month.
But, having added to their squad with the arrivals of USA defender Naomi Girma and former Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh, is this finally Chelsea’s year?
“We’ll do everything possible to make that happen but, as you know, Barcelona have a lot of experience and talent in the squad,” said Bompastor.
“In football, everything is possible. I will bring all the confidence we need to go into those two games but first of all we want to enjoy this, because it was not easy.”
Chelsea’s victory over City capped off an exhilarating series of four matches in two weeks between the clubs.
Ultimately, Chelsea’s experience and quality in depth shone through and they will hope it carries them all the way to four trophies by the end of May.--BBC
