Barcelona beats Brann to set up Women’s Champions League semifinal against Chelsea
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Aitana Bonmatí led Barcelona to its sixth straight Women’s Champions League semifinals on Thursday, scoring the opening goal in a 3-1 win over Brann that sets up a last-four clash with Chelsea.
The Ballon d’Or winner put the Catalan team in the driver’s seat with a curling shot in the 24th minute before Fridolina Rolfo made it 2-0 from close range in the second half. Defender Tomine Svendheim cut the deficit 20 minutes from time before Patri Guijarro sealed Barcelona’s win with two minutes left from Bonmatí’s pass.
Defending champion Barcelona advanced 5-2 on aggregate after winning 2-1 in the quarterfinal first leg in Norway.
Chelsea reached the semifinals Wednesday following a 1-1 draw with Ajax. Chelsea advanced 4-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg 3-0 in Amsterdam.
Barcelona has now equaled Lyon’s record of consecutive semifinal appearances.
Barcelona beat Chelsea in last year’s semifinals before going on to win the competition.
“We’ve got huge impetus for this rematch with Chelsea,” Bonmatí said. “This is the type of rivalry which inspires you every morning when you get up to go to work. You feel things are different. This type of match is why we became footballers in the first place.”
Later Thursday, Paris Saint-Germain set an all-French semifinal against Lyon by defeating Häcken 3-0 after winning the first leg 2-1.
Tabitha Chawinga, the French league’s top scorer and leading assist maker, scored the opener at the Parc des Princes in the 27th minute. Korbin Albert doubled PSG’s lead with a second-half long-range shot into the top corner and Marie-Antoinette Katoto completed the win with a header.
Lyon advanced to the last four for a record 13th time after a 4-1 win over Benfica. The record eight-time champion won 6-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 first leg win in Portugal.
The home-and-away semifinals will be played on April 20-21 and 27-28.
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