Chelsea 0-2 Barcelona: Champions League pain for Emma Hayes

Emma Hayes waved and smiled to the crowd as she entered Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where she was greeted with loud cheers, but she blew a kiss as Chelsea's European dreams were once again crushed by Barcelona. He left the pitch with tears streaming down his face.

The Spanish giants were Chelsea's arch-rivals in the Women's Champions League, losing in the 2021 final and losing for the second straight semi-final.

And this blow hurt the most.

Chelsea went into Saturday's second leg with a 1-0 lead and plenty of optimism after their impressive result against Spain on April 20th.

However, the lead was quickly erased by a deflected attack from Aitana Bommatti.

A harrowing night in London followed two controversial decisions by referee Juliana Demetrescu. Chelsea defender Kadeisha Buchanan's second booking and Fridrina Rolfo's penalty for the defending champions.

Both decisions will have a huge impact on Chelsea's defeat at a packed Stamford Bridge. Home fans packed there, hoping for a fitting sendoff for Hayes' 12-year tenure.

In fact, the draw was a heartbreaking result for both Hayes and Chelsea.

Afterwards, the manager sat in a packed media conference room and, visibly holding back tears, described referee Demetrescu's decision to send Buchanan off as “the worst in the history of the Champions League”.

She claimed the team had been “robbed” of the chance to challenge Barcelona's European dominance, a task that was “already difficult enough”.

Hayes and his players might have dreamed of celebrating reaching the final, but instead they saw the familiar Barcelona team dancing, singing and the echoes of their jubilation drifting through the media conference area as they made their way to the locker room. There was a video.

Chelsea fans returned to the venue to pay their respects to Hayes after the end of the frenzied draw, but it didn't go as they had planned.

The Women's Champions League is the only trophy Hayes did not win with Chelsea.

She was part of Arsenal's coaching staff when the Gunners won the European title in 2007, but another dismal showing at Chelsea meant her team's silverware collection This means that there is something seriously missing.

Of course, this wasn't all about Hayes.

Her ambitions matched those of the club and players who began her 12-year journey with the aim of winning this most precious of trophies.

Captain Millie Bright, who played in all of Hayes' seasons at the club, joined the manager in tears as they huddled together on the pitch for the post-match debrief.

Bright made his first substitute appearance in five months after recovering from injury, but could do nothing to change his fortunes, with Chelsea already reduced in numbers and one point behind in total goals.

Other Warriors from Hayes' era also endured pain. Scotland international Erin Cuthbert, who has worn the armband many times this season in Bright's absence, took a knee at full-time and required comfort from goalkeeper Zesila Musovic.

They tried their best, but it still wasn't enough to beat the best team in the world.

Hayes' farewell at Stamford Bridge was a complete disappointment, but there are still big games ahead at his usual home at Kingsmeadow.

Of the four games still to be played in the Women's Super League, there is a home game against relegation zone side Bristol City on May 5.

This, along with three away games, will be crucial as Chelsea aim to defend their WSL title against a strong challenge from rivals Manchester City.

It is the only trophy Chelsea can win this season, having already been eliminated in both domestic cup competitions.

Any talk of Hayes' fairytale ending at the club quickly faded. The possibility of a quadruple has been floated and talked about among players until recently, but Chelsea could still end up empty-handed.

As Cuthbert rightly said last week, Hayes' “legacy will not be defined by her Champions League exploits” – but with so many trophies to her name over her long tenure, it's hard to imagine what she'll do in 2024. The idea that he could leave without a trophy would have seemed almost absurd. How many weeks ago?

This isn't supposed to be the end of the story. When the tears run dry and the emotions run cold, Chelsea must respond.