Defending champions Arsenal Women secured their place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals despite a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, advancing 3-2 on aggregate.
The first leg had already set the tone, with Arsenal gaining a crucial advantage that Chelsea could not overturn.
The Blues, despite dominating domestically in England over the past decade, remain in search of their first Champions League title.
Arsenal, who ended an 18-year wait for an English winner by defeating Barcelona in last season’s final, showed resilience to stay on course to defend their crown.
For most of the match, they managed to keep Chelsea at bay, only coming under pressure in the frantic closing minutes.
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A pivotal moment came when Stina Blackstenius appeared to score for Arsenal ten minutes from time, but the goal was ruled out for marginal offside after a VAR review.
Chelsea then surged forward, with Lauren James testing goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar and Veerle Buurman hitting the post on a rebound. Moments later, Van Domselaar made an extraordinary save to deny Sjoeke Nusken.
At the other end, Beth Mead struck the woodwork, highlighting Arsenal’s threat on the counter-attack. Chelsea finally found the net four minutes into added time through Nusken, finishing from Sam Kerr’s cross, but it was too late to change the outcome.
Drama continued as Chelsea’s coach Sonia Bompastor was sent off for two bookable offenses following a hair pull incident involving Alyssa Thompson and Katie McCabe.
Arsenal will now face either eight-time winners Lyon or Wolfsburg in the semi-finals. On the other side of the draw, Bayern Munich defeated Manchester United 5-3 on aggregate and are expected to face Barcelona, who hold a 6-2 first-leg lead over Real Madrid.
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