Emma Hayes blasts ‘worst decisions in Women’s Champions League history’ after Chelsea exit | Chelsea Women

Emma Hayes lambasted the pink card proven to Kadeisha Buchanan and the award of the decisive penalty in Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat by Barcelona as “in all probability the worst selections in Uefa Girls’s Champions League historical past”.

Chelsea had been a purpose up going into the second leg, having inflicted the primary house defeat on Barcelona in additional than 5 years, however Aitana Bonmatí’s shot took a deflection off Buchanan to make sure the guests had been stage on combination on the break. The centre‑again then picked up two very comfortable yellow playing cards to chop Chelsea right down to 10 gamers after which Iuliana Demetrescu awarded a questionable penalty.

“I felt we had been simply approaching prime, and you possibly can see the mixture of the group and the gamers had been driving us, they felt actually assured, so once you get such a surprising refereeing determination there’s nothing you are able to do about it,” mentioned Hayes. “It’s onerous sufficient once you’ve bought 11 however once you’ve bought 10 it’s nearly not possible.

“Even the Barcelona gamers mentioned the referee was useful to them. I didn’t assume it was a foul, not to mention a yellow card.”

The Chelsea supervisor mentioned she was stunned to see Demetrescu had been awarded the semi‑closing. “We didn’t really feel we bought the chance to lose [the game], that was taken away, and I believe that I used to be stunned once I noticed [the referee] chosen, she’s recognized for simple playing cards. [They were] in all probability the worst selections in Uefa Girls’s Champions League historical past.”

Hayes went on to say she was “gutted for her gamers” and mentioned they felt “robbed”.

After Buchanan’s exit, with the referee seemingly having forgotten the participant was already booked when she issued the comfortable second yellow, Hayes appealed for a video assistant referee examine, however the officers had been unable to take a look at the choice, as a result of it was not a straight pink card. “That’s the toughest half, I’m stood there and looking out on the fourth official and I mentioned: ‘Absolutely that can be checked?’ and she or he says: ‘I can’t, it might probably’t on a yellow,’” she mentioned.

The award of the penalty to Bonmatí was additionally controversial. “I believed it was equally comfortable,” mentioned Hayes of the choice. “However she’s a tremendous participant Bonmatí, as a result of Ashley [Lawrence] is on the skin of her, she’s intelligent, Aitana [Bonmatí], it’s intelligent, she leaves her leg there.”

Barcelona’s supervisor, Jonatan Giráldez, was dismissive of the controversy. “It’s a part of the sport,” he mentioned, earlier than referring again to a VAR intervention within the first leg. “Once we performed at house, we created a penalty and centimetres, two or three centimetres, we had been disallowed in that scenario, so it’s a part of the sport.”