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Barcelona Beat Chelsea To Reach Women’s Champions League Final

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Holders Barcelona booked their place in the Women’s Champions League final with a controversial 2-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg on Saturday.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Jonatan Giraldez’s side took the lead through Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s Kadeisha Buchanan was sent off in the second half for a contentious second booking.

And Fridolina Rolfo wrapped up Barcelona’s 2-1 aggregate victory with a debatable penalty.

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In the final in Bilbao on May 25, Barca will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Lyon, who meet in the second leg of their semi-final on Sunday with Lyon holding a 3-2 lead.

It will be Barca’s fourth successive final berth as they look to lift the trophy for the third time.

“We are very happy. We deserved the victory. The first leg we were not better than the opponent. Today we created more clear chances,” Giraldez said.

“The connection with the players is amazing. I’m proud of them. I’m really happy to get another final. It’s special.”

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Chelsea’s first-leg victory last week is the only defeat Barca have suffered this season, ending the club’s five-year unbeaten record on home turf.

But Blues boss Emma Hayes, who leaves to take charge of the USA women’s national team at the of this season, said Chelsea would have to produce a perfect display to overcome “the best team in the world” again in the rematch.

Chelsea were unable to rise to the challenge and their wait for a first Champions League crown goes on.

They have now lost to Barca in successive Champions League semi-finals after being beaten by the Spanish club in the 2021 final.

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In another sign of the hugely increased popularity of the women’s game in England, Stamford Bridge was sold out to its 39,398 capacity for the first time for a female fixture.

But the Chelsea fans were destined to go home disappointed, with Bonmati firing an early warning shot that Hannah Hampton dived to her right to save.

It was a threat that Chelsea failed to heed and Bonmati punished them to open the scoring in the 25th minute.

Conceding possession in sloppy fashion, Chelsea were unable to stop Bonmati, who cleverly side-stepped Niamh Charles on the edge of the area before unloading a fierce strike that deflected in off Buchanan.

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Hayes’ side should have levelled when Sjoeke Nusken lunged for a shot that cannoned back off the post early in the second half.

To her intense frustration, Buchanan received her marching orders in the 59th minute after a challenge on Patri Guijarro that appeared to take the ball but was deemed worthy of a second yellow card.

Barca delivered the knockout blow in the 75th minute when Bonmati was fouled in the area by Jess Carter and Ashley Lawrence.

Once again Chelsea complained vehemently but Rolfo stepped up to send Hampton the wrong way with a composed spot-kick as Barca wrapped up another final appearance.

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Watch highlights of Manchester United’s 5-4 ‘comeback’ win over Lyon in Europa League

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Manchester United staged a remarkable comeback against French side Lyon, securing a thrilling 5-4 victory in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

Midfielder Manuel Ugarte opened the scoring for United in the 10th minute, calmly slotting home a pull-back from a teammate. Before the end of the first half, defender Diogo Dalot netted a second goal to extend their lead.

However, Lyon mounted a strong second-half response. Corentin Tolisso capitalised on a spilled save from Andre Onana to pull one back, and Nicolás Tagliafico leveled the score with a composed finish past the goalkeeper.

In extra time, Ryan Cherki scored in the 104th minute to give Lyon the lead, followed by Alexandre Lacazette, who made it 4-2 with a well-placed effort.

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United responded with renewed intensity. Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty to narrow the gap, Kobbie Mainoo equalized in the 120th minute, and a dramatic header from Harry Maguire sealed a stunning 5-4 victory at Old Trafford.

The Premier League side advanced to the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 7-6 aggregate scoreline.

Manchester United will face Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals, scheduled for May 1 and May 8, 2025.

The other semi-final tie will feature Bodo/Glimt against Tottenham Hotspur.

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Watch highlights of the match below:

 

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Champions League: Arsenal cut Real Madrid to size with 5-1 aggregate win

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Arsenal staved off Champions League holders Real Madrid’s superstars and rich history of unlikely comebacks to snatch a 2-1 victory on Wednesday and reach the semi-finals with a superb 5-1 aggregate triumph.

The Gunners’ 3-0 quarter-final first leg triumph last week gave them a vital cushion in the Spanish capital as they made the final four for the first time since 2009, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain.

Bukayo Saka, who missed a first-half penalty, sent Arsenal ahead and although Vinicius Junior levelled the 15-time winners were never close to making up the deficit.

Gabriel Martinelli rubbed salt in their wounds with a stoppage-time winner for Arsenal, who have never lifted the Champions League trophy.

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“We knew we were going to suffer but we knew we were going to win,” Declan Rice, who netted two stunning free-kicks in the first leg, told TNT Sports.

“It’s such a special night for this club, it’s a historic night for this club… we want to win this competition.”

Los Blancos, far more brittle than when they won a Champions League and La Liga double last season, were convinced they could turn the game around but created too little against Arsenal’s tight defence.

The Premier League side held their nerve to reach the semi-finals for only the third time in their history.

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“It’s a difficult moment… it was a difficult game, we didn’t have all the chances we would have liked,” Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez told Movistar.

“We needed a bit more with the ball, maybe a bit more patience to be able to break through a very well organised defence — they did their job.”

Kylian Mbappe chested home in the opening stages but was clearly offside, with the forward gesturing to the crowd to turn up the volume to create the fabled aura which helps Madrid pull off near-impossible feats at the Santiago Bernabeu.

David Alaba was booked for hacking down Saka as Madrid tried to add the grit they badly lacked in their first leg demolition in London, and the Arsenal winger also had a drive fielded well by Thibaut Courtois.

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Arsenal were awarded a penalty seemingly out of the blue when the VAR booth instructed French referee Francois Letexier to review an incident from an earlier corner.

Raul Asencio pulled back Arsenal forward Mikel Merino in the area and Letexier pointed to the spot, to the bemusement of the home crowd.

– Saka penalty saved –

Saka stepped up to take it but his poorly-executed Panenka, skewing off to the left, was saved by Courtois.

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It spurred Real Madrid on and soon they had a penalty of their own, when Mbappe hit the turf after Rice tussled with him.

However after a lengthy VAR review Letexier was called to take a second look and he then decided Arsenal’s two-goal first leg hero Rice had not fouled the French superstar.

The breaks in play, along with Arsenal’s dallying at every opportunity, disrupted Madrid’s momentum and they struggled to threaten Gunners stopper David Raya.

For all of Madrid’s bluster the goalkeeper did not need to make a save in the first half.

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Martin Odegaard, facing his former employers whom he joined as a ‘wonderkid’ a decade ago, helped forge Arsenal’s opening goal after 65 minutes.

The Norwegian linked with Merino, who slipped Saka in behind and the Englishman made amends for his penalty blunder with an ice-cool dinked finish.

Four goals ahead in the tie Arsenal thought their work was done, with defender William Saliba not concentrating on the edge of his box in possession.

Vinicius stole the ball away from him and beat the out-of-position Raya to level, two minutes after Saka’s opener.

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Madrid’s increasingly slim hopes were dashed when Mbappe limped off with an ankle problem with 15 minutes remaining, and Martinelli made sure with a cool finish after Merino set him up.

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Inter edge past Bayern to set up Champions League semi against Barcelona

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Inter Milan reached the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday after drawing 2-2 with Bayern Munich to win a pulsating last-eight tie 4-3 on aggregate.

Italian champions Inter will face Barcelona in the semis after goals in the space of three minutes from captain Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard cancelled out a Harry Kane strike for Bayern which levelled the tie in the 52nd minute.

Eric Dier’s looping header in the 75th minute earned Bayern a draw on the night in soaking and blustery Milan but that wasn’t enough for Vincent Kompany’s side to continue their bid to be crowned Kings of Europe for a seventh time.

Simone Inzaghi’s side came through in awful conditions at the San Siro where a combination of heavy rain and driving winds affected both teams’ ability to play their best football, but added uncertainty and tension to an already highly-charged occasion.

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Inter are still on for a repeat of the Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup treble won under Jose Mourinho in 2010, as they are also three points ahead of Napoli in Italy’s top flight and face AC Milan in the semi-finals of the domestic cup.

And Wednesday’s win showed that Inter are more than capable or reaching the final of Europe’s elite club competition, as they did two years ago when they were narrowly beaten by Manchester City.

Bayern had won all three of their previous Champions League away matches at Inter, but after Pavard crashed home his first goal for the club in the 61st minute there was no way back for the injury-hit Bundesliga leaders.

Inter will also benefit from playing the second leg of their showdown with Barca, who they beat in the semi-finals on their way to victory in Madrid 15 years ago, at the San Siro.

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– Treble dream –

The hosts didn’t come alive until their fans, who had been sat and stood in silence for the first 20 minutes in protest at ticket prices, burst loudly in song.

By that time the wind had picked up so much that one Inter cross almost swung back out of the penalty box, but even with the wind in their faces the hosts were on the up.

Thuram just failed to get a touch on Francesco Acerbi’s scuffed finish in the 29th minute, and moments later Hakan Calhanoglu crashed powerful shot just wide of the upright.

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Bayern reacted and pushed Inter back into their own area for the final minutes of the opening half, but a combination of the conditions, desperate defending and poor finishing kept the match scoreless at the break.

Inter started the second half the stronger but Kane levelled the tie with a brilliantly taken goal, shifting onto his right and drilling a low shot through Federico Dimarco’s leg’s and past Yann Sommer.

Just moments before Kane had rookie Bayern goalkeeper to thank for stopping him scoring an own goal, but not long afterwards Martinez re-established Inter’s advantage when he controlled Dimarco’s corner and lashed home.

And Pavard decided the tie three minutes later with a bullet header against his former club from another corner, sending the San Siro wild with delight.

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That wasn’t it though as Dier moved Bayern back to within a goal of extra-time, but when Sommer smothered Kane’s header in stoppage time Inter’s treble dream was kept alive.

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