Canadian defender Kadeisha Buchanan’s absence due to injury was felt as Chelsea fell to a 1-0 loss against Barcelona in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semifinal on Saturday. The game was a rematch of the 2021 European final, which Barcelona won 4-0. Caroline Graham Hansen scored the only goal of the game in the fourth minute. Chelsea’s attack rarely threatened, and Barcelona controlled the midfield in the second half. Buchanan was seen on the sideline in a walking boot, having sat out a week ago in an FA Cup semifinal against Aston Villa and also missing a friendly for Canada two weeks ago.
Canadian midfielder Jessie Fleming appeared as a substitute in the 84th minute. She signed a new contract with Chelsea in November and has won 109 caps for Canada, captaining the team. Fleming was part of Canada’s Olympic champion team in Tokyo and won bronze at the 2016 Games in Rio. In 2021, she was named Canada Soccer player of the year.
Barcelona will now be favorites to progress to the final, having won 60 consecutive Spanish league games and all 25 of their domestic matches this season. The second leg will be played at Camp Nou on Thursday.
Chelsea will have to pull off another upset if they are to reach the final. They reached the last four after a surprise penalty shootout win against Lyon in the quarterfinals. Barcelona, meanwhile, will hope to return to the final for the third straight year.