Emma Hayes stared into the distance and puffed out her cheeks as the full-time whistle went and the dream came crashing down. There will be no Women’s Champions League title in Hayes’s final season, no Bilbao final to provide the ultimate send-off after 12 years in charge. For the third time in four years, it is Barcelona who are responsible, but perhaps it is this defeat that will hurt the most. Chelsea were thrashed in the 2021 final, they weren’t competitive in last season’s semi-final. But here, as Barcelona continue their Champions League defence and now go for back-to-back European crowns, Chelsea will know they have never been so close to their first.
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