Real Madrid Femenino 2 Chelsea Women 2
Emma Hayes felt her Chelsea side were “robbed” of victory in the Women’s Champions League away at Real Madrid after two “embarrassing” decisions late in their controversial 2-2 draw.
Hayes said it was “painful” to see a foul outside the box by Chelsea’s Jessie Fleming on Athenea del Castillo be awarded as a penalty, which Olga Carmona converted to earn the hosts a point. The Chelsea manager was also bewildered by the decision to disallow what would have been a 95th-minute winning goal from Niamh Charles for offside against Sam Kerr.
Charles arrived from an onside position to sweep the ball into the net, while an offside Kerr, who made no contact with the ball but made a tame challenge in the air with her marker, was adjudged to have been active and interfering with the play, much to Chelsea’s dismay.
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in a game like that when two humongous decisions have gone against us,” Hayes said. “I think we’ve been robbed of what should have been a 3-1 game.
“We dominated the game and then we went 2-1 up. Then there is the free-kick that was awarded as a penalty. I could see from the bench that it was outside of the box so I’m absolutely shocked that those managing the game couldn’t. Then we score a legitimate goal with Niamh Charles three or four yards onside. It’s embarrassing. I cannot understand the decision whatsoever.”
England full-back Charles and Australia striker Kerr’s far-post headers had earlier deservedly turned the game around in Chelsea’s favour, after a deflected opening goal from Carmona, with Chelsea playing just 24 hours after the United States confirmed the appointment of Hayes as their new women’s national team head coach from next summer.
The 47-year-old’s current team were beginning their bid to try to reach May’s final in Bilbao. If they can get there, that would be Hayes’ last match in charge at the end of 12 trophy-laden years in charge of the club.
Hayes leaving with the Champions League would be a fitting legacy
There would be no more fitting climax to Emma Hayes’ trophy-laden 12-year spell in charge of Chelsea than to lift the Women’s Champions League trophy next May.
Chelsea will have more motivation than ever to win their first European women’s crown, to give their manager the dream send-off and clinch the one major trophy that has, so far, eluded her in her managerial career.
Whenever Hayes is asked about the Women’s Champions League trophy being absent from her otherwise jam-packed trophy cabinet, she plays the matter down. She insists she already considers herself to have won it, as an assistant coach with Arsenal when they won a quadruple in 2007. Yet, even though that may be, it remains the single piece of silverware missing from her time as manager of Chelsea, and it is the one every manager in Europe craves the most.
Are Chelsea capable of doing it this year? On the evidence of Wednesday’s night’s 2-2 draw away against Real Madrid, they are certainly in with a chance. Not many teams come away from the Spanish capital with a draw and feel highly aggrieved not to have won.
Chelsea can take a lot of encouragement from their dominant performance against a team who included several of Spain’s World Cup winners and Colombia’s World Cup breakthrough star Linda Caicedo.
Chelsea are England’s last remaining representatives in Europe this term and are in a tough-looking group that also contains French side Paris FC – who stunned both Arsenal and last season’s finalists Wolfsburg in qualifying – and Swedish side Hacken, who were 2-1 winners away at Paris FC on Wednesday to take the early lead in the group.
The English side will also have to juggle their campaign with the rigours of the Women’s Super League, the most professionalised domestic division in Europe, where there are no ‘free games’, nor times where you can really afford the luxury of resting all your leading players. This will be a demanding season. Yet they also have a squad depth that can cope.
Hayes insists Chelsea remain her sole focus this term, despite being confirmed as the new United States women’s head coach from next summer. Speaking about the appointment publicly for the first time, she said: “You’ll know I haven’t given it much thought, because you can tell from my [sore] throat, I’ve been working on our next three games. All my focus has been on tonight. I’ve got to do some work now for [the game against] Liverpool.
“As I said in the statement, my focus is here, for now. Of course I’ll have communications with Twila [Kilgore], the interim head coach, but I’m focused on what I’m doing right now.”
That will remain Hayes’ mantra, in public, for the rest of the season. She wants to end her time at Chelsea on top. Her team are showing more and more maturity in Europe and – although there is a very long way to go – there is cause for their fans to hope.
Match details
Real Madrid Femenino (4-2-3-1): Misa 7; Oihane 6, Ivana 6, Kathellen 6, Carmona 8; Toletti 6, Abelleira 7; Del Castillo 7, Zornoza 6 (Maite Oroz 6, 60), Caicedo 6; Bruun 6 (Feller 6, 71).
Subs not used: Chavas (gk), Tellez (gk), Kenti Robles, Rocio, Raso, Moller, Svava, Olofsson, Olaya, Sara Lopez.
Booked: Toletti.
Chelsea Women (4-2-3-1): Berger 6; Lawrence 7, Bright 6, Carter 6, Charles 8; Cuthbert 7, Nusken 7; Rytting Kaneryd 6, Kirby 6 (James 7, 64), Fleming 7; Kerr 7.
Subs not used: Musovic (gk), Hampton (gk), Fishel, Nouwen, Ingle, Perisset, Mjelde, Buchanan, Cankovic, Beever-Jones.
Referee: Frida Klarlund (Denmark).
Attendance: 2,913.
Real Madrid Femenino vs Chelsea Women: As it happened . . .
10:35PMEmma Hayes: Chelsea robbed of a 3-1 win
The Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was unsurprisingly unhappy with some of the decisions that went against Chelsea.
We dominated the game and then we went 2-1 up. Then there is the free-kick that was awarded as a penalty. Then we score a legitimate goal. I cannot understand the decision whatsoever. I think we’ve been robbed of what should have been a 3-1 game.
We’ve had chances [to score more], so we should be disappointed with ourselves, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in a game like that when two humongous decisions have gone against us. That’s a lot, tonight.
Was Kerr offside when Charles scored?
The key part of the offside law is whether, by challenging Ivans Andres, Sam Kerr was guilty of “making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball”.
It’s a subjective offside, so you can argue it either way. Chelsea are probably a bit unfortunate but the penalty feels like a worthier grievance.
9:54PMFull time: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
I suppose it’s a good sign if you’re annoyed to only draw away to Real Madrid. But that result will surely frustrate the hell out of Emma Hayes, because Chelsea were so dominant for large parts of the game.
The outstanding Niamh Charles, who made one and scored one, thought she had won the game right at the end, but her goal was ruled out for a debatable offside against Sam Kerr. My hunch is that it was the correct decision in accordance with the current offside law; Chelsea’s frustration is that Kerr became unnecessarily active with a vague challenge on Ivana Andres. Charles would probably have scored regardless.
Either way, Chelsea will be aggrieved by the debatable penalty award that allowed Olga Carmona to equalise shortly after Kerr had headed Chelsea into a deserved lead.
90+6 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
Niamh Charles has a goal disallowed for offside! She finished it beautifully, sweeping Bright’s long cross past Rodriguez on the half volley, but the flag immediately went up. Charles was nowhere near being offside, so it can only have been given against Sam Kerr, who was beyond the last defender when the cross came in and made a (frankly needless) attempt to challenge Andres.
My word, what a finale.
90+4 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
James puts Kerr through on goal with a long ball that is missed by Andres, but Kerr is slightly off balance and that allows Hernandez to make another vital tackle.
9:50PM90+2 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
After a thrilling run, James’ low shot from 20 yards is well blocked by Andres. Chelsea have the ball, as they have for most of this game.
9:49PM90+2 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
I’m a little surprised Chelsea haven’t made more substitutions, as they have a game on Saturday. But Emma Hayes doesn’t look set to make any more.
9:48PM90+1 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
There will be five minutes of added time. Kathellen has just been booked for timewasting.
9:47PM90 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
Double substitution for Real Freja Olofsson and Hayley Raso, who left Manchester City in the summer, come on for Linda Caicedo and Teresa Abelleira.
9:46PM89 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
James hits the bar! What an effort from Lauren James. She wandered infield from the right, 25 yards out, and curled a nonchalant left-footer that beat the backpedalling Rodriguez and thumped off the underside of the bar. The rebound came at an awkward height to Fleming, who shinned it wide of the far post.
9:43PM86 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
Another good save by Rodriguez! A corner was cleared to the edge of the D, where Kaneryd cut across the bouncing ball to hit a shot that swerved awkwardly and was palmed round the post by the flying Rodriguez.
9:41PM84 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
Chelsea are baffled. That foul by Fleming was surely outside of the penalty area.
9:40PM82 min: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2
Caicedo shows a devastating change of pace to beat Carter to the ball on the left and cut into the area, but Carter does brilliantly to recover and make a potentially goal-saving tackle. Seconds later, at the other end, Rodriguez charges out of her area to beat a Chelsea forward to a through ball.
This is great stuff, and either team could nick it.
9:37PMGOAL!
Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 2 (Carmona 79 pen) Olga Carmona gets her second with a brilliant penalty, blasted into the side netting to Berger’s left. The award of the penalty looked harsh - the original contact was well outside the area and I don’t think it continued into the box, although I wouldn’t put the farm on it - but it was beautifully taken.
78 min Real 1 Chelsea 2
PENALTY TO REAL MADRID! Fleming fouls del Castillo outside the area, but she falls into the box and the referee gives the penalty.
9:33PMGOAL!
Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 2 (Kerr 74) Niamh Charles has made one and scored one! Moments after an immense block tackle by Hernandez on Cuthbert on the edge of the area, Chelsea took a deserved lead. Chalres played the ball infield to Fleming and kept running. She slid a return pass to Chelsea, who guided a brilliant first-time cross that was headed in decisively by Kerr at the far post. What a footballer Niamh Charles is becoming.
9:31PM73 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
I’m struggling to remember the last time in this half that I looked to my left. I.e., the last time Real Madrid entered Chelsea’s half of the pitch. It’s been all Chelsea for at least 20 minutes.
9:28PM71 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Real substitution Naomie Feller replaces Signe Bruun, who worked hard with little reward up front.
9:28PM70 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Fleming appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty after being bumped over in the area by Caicedo. It looked like a fair shoulder charge rather than a push.
9:24PM67 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
James walks away from Kathellen with ease but then shoots wastefully over the bar from 25 yards.
9:23PM66 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Out of nothing, a half chance for Madrid. Bright’s defensive header goes straight to del Castillo, whose snapshot from 15 yards hits Charles and goes behind for the home side’s first corner. That was good defending from Charles, who has again been superb.
9:21PM64 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Chelsea substitution Lauren James replaces Fran Kirby. Real Madrid are hanging on a bit, so James is probably the last person they want to see.
9:20PM62 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Lauren James is coming on for Chelsea, as Emma Hayes turns to her bench for inspiration. Chelsea look capable of winning this. It’s just the final ball that’s eluding them.
9:17PM60 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Real substitution Maite Oroz replaces Claudia Zornoza.
9:15PM58 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Chelsea’s pressing has been very good all night. Cuthbert wins the ball for the umpteenth time and releases Kaneryd, whose cross deflects behind for a corner. Nothing comes of it.
54 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Linda Caicedo, the brilliant Colombian teenager, has been more involved in the second half. She scoots away from Lawrence and lifts a cross that is claimed at the second attempt by Berger.
Chelsea counter and Kirby’s shot from 15 yards is superbly blocked, I think by Andres. That’s Chelsea’s 11th attempt to at goal; Real have had one.
51 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Great save from Rodriguez! Carter curls a long pass to release Kerr, who makes a brilliant run behind Andres in the inside-left channel. She cuts into the area and seems certain to score, but Rodriguez deflects her shot just wide of the post. That’s a brilliant save, though Kerr will feel she should have scored.
51 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Great save from Rodriguez! Carter curls a long pass to release Kerr, who makes a brilliant run behind Andres in the inside-left channel. She cuts into the area and seems certain to score, but Rodriguez deflects her shot just wide of the post. That’s a brilliant save, though Kerr will feel she should have scored.
48 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Kerr’s header is comfortably saved by Rodriguez. She did well just to get it on target - she was 12 yards out, running away from goal, and there was no real pace on the cross.
9:03PM46 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Chelsea get the second half under way. A draw in Madrid is never a bad result - but with the way the first half unfolded Emma Hayes will fancy her team’s chances of victory.
8:53PMInjured Weir in demand
Caroline Weir is the focus of the attention of the fans here at half-time as a huge group all clamour for an autograph, from the injured Real Madrid and Scotland midfielder. Meanwhile, 2913 has been confirmed as the attendance here tonight at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
8:49PMHalf time: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Impressive stuff from Chelsea. They were unfortunate to go behind to a deflected shot from Olga Carmona, but they kept their composure, continued to dominate the ball and eventually equalised through an accomplished header from Niamh Charles.
8:48PM45+1 min: Real 1 Chelsea 1
Chance for Nusken! Chelsea almost took the lead with the last kick of the half. The corner wasn’t cleared properly, with a defensive header going straight to Nusken 12 yards out. She took a touch and hit a snapshot that was too close to Rodriguez. Either side and that may well have gone in.
8:46PM45+1 min: Real 1 Chelsea 1
Cuthbert’s free-kick hits the wall and flies behind for a corner.
8:46PM45 min: Real 1 Chelsea 1
Kaneryd is fouled this far outside the area by Toletti, who is booked. Cuthbert is over the free-kick...
8:45PM43 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Chelsea’s coaching staff will be overjoyed with that goal. It was straight off the training ground, passing it from back to front. The visitors have really grown into this half and that was the definition of a team goal. They had possession of the ball for at least a minute, by my watch, before Charles hit the net.
8:43PMGOAL!
Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 1 (Charles 41) The full-backs combine for an excellent equaliser! Lawrence wandered infield, chopped back outside Carmona and curled a cross beyond the far post, where Charles ran off del Castillo and planted an emphatic header back across the goalkeeper. Chelsea fully deserve that.
39 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
Charles beats Hernandez on the left side of the area with a majestic Cruyff turn and hits a low cross that takes a deflection and is cleared desperately by Ivana Andres. Chelsea are really pressing now.
8:37PM35 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
Another wicked cross from the indefatigable Cuthbert bounces awkwardly just outside the six-yard box. Kerr can’t get a touch and Hernandez, under pressure from Fleming, chests the ball back to the keeper with indecent calm.
34 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
Kirby’s pressure forces Carmona to concede a cheap corner. It’s swung deep and headed away, but Chelsea keep the ball alive until Cuthbert swishes over the top from 25 yards.
31 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
As well as the official away end in the far corner, there are a few clusters of Chelsea fans mixed in with the home supporters, and they’re making themselves heard. It’s all very amicable though and there’s no hostility. On the pitch, Real Madrid look so much slicker on the ball, and their work rate is impressive. They’ve won all-but-one of their matches in all competitions so far this season and it’s not hard to understand why.
8:30PM29 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
Excellent save by Rodriguez! Kirby breaks into space down the right and fires an early pass into Kerr on the edge of the area. She takes the ball beautifully in her stride, away from the defender, and cracks an early shot towards the near post. Rodriguez reacts smartly to claw it behind for a corner.
24 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
Real are playing mainly on the counter-attack, though it’s not clear whether that’s by design or necessity. Chelsea have dominated possession without really testing Misa Rodriguez.
21 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
Charles, so impressive as an attacking left-back these days, kills a long ball beautifully and plays in the underlapping Fleming. Her low cross is dummied at the near post by Kerr, but Kirby is on her heels and Kathellen (I think) clears. Had Kirby not slowed down she may well have scored.
8:19PM17 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
Cuthbert wins the ball on the edge of the Madrid D and plays in Charles, whose cross deflects behind for Chelsea’s first corner. Kirby’s delivery isn’t the best and the ball bounces through to the keeper Rodriguez.
8:16PM16 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
The goal has relaxed the home side, as goals are wont to do, and now they are having a strong spell. Chelsea may need to sit in for 10 minutes.
12 min: Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0
‘Olga, Olga, Olga’, chant the Real Madrid fans, as they wave their white flags that are donned with the club’s crest to salute the player who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final against England and who has used her wand of a left-foot to clinical affect again now.
8:11PMGOAL!
Real Madrid 1 Chelsea 0 (Carmona 10) Olga Carmona, who scored the winner for Spain against England in the World Cup, has done it again! Berger’s clearance was collected 40 yards from goal and quickly moved forward to Carmona in a bit of space. She took a couple of touches and drove a left-footed shot that took a big deflection off Bright and wrongfooted Berger.
8:09PM7 min: Real Madrid 0 Chelsea 0
The Chelsea keeper Berger walks confidently past the onrushing Bruun, another sign of Chelsea’s early confidence.
8:06PMInjured Weir among the crowd in Madrid
Scotland’s Caroline Weir, who starred for Team GB’s women’s football side at the Tokyo Olympics, is missing for Real Madrid at the moment after suffering a serious knee injury earlier this season. But the former Manchester City midfielder is here in the stands, sitting about 10 seats to our right, to watch her Real team-mates and many of her British pals in action. She’s still using crutches to walk at the moment.
8:05PM4 min: Real Madrid 0 Chelsea 0
Chelsea have started brightly and are dominating possession. Nusken reverses glorious through pass to find Kirby on the right of the area, but she dithers for a split-second and is superbly tackled by the sliding Carmona.
2 min: Real Madrid 0 Chelsea 0
Rytting Kaneryd wriggles away from a couple of defenders on the right and finds Cuthbert, whose terrific first-time cross flashes through the six-yard box with nobody there to do the necessary.
8:01PM1 min: Real Madrid 0 Chelsea 0
Real Madrid, in their classic white strip, kick off from right to left as we watch. Chelsea are in blue.
Here come the players
It looks a pretty chilly night in Madrid, and there a surprising number of empty seats.
A reminder of the teams
Real Madrid (possible 4-2-3-1) Misa; Oihane, Ivana, Kathellen Olga; Toletti, Teresa; Athenea, Zornoza, Linda Caicedo; Bruun.
Substitutes: Chavas, Tellez, Kenti Robles, Rocio, Malte Oroz, Raso, Moller, Feller, Svava, Olofsson, Olaya, Sara Lopez.
Chelsea (possible 4-2-3-1) Berger; Lawrence, Bright, Carter, Charles; Cuthbert, Nusken; Rytting Kaneryd, Kirby, Fleming; Kerr.
Substitutes: Musovic, Hampton, Fishel, Nouwen, Ingle, James, Perisset, Mjelde, Buchanan, Cankovic, Beever-Jones.
Referee Frida Klarlund (Denmark).
Full time: Paris FC 1 BK Hacken 2
The first match in this group has ended with a surprise victory for the Swedish side BK Hacken in Paris. I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad news for Chelsea; probably too early to say.
7:23PMA familiar opponent
Chelsea and Real Madrid also met in the group stage last season. Sophie Ingle and Erin Cuthbert scored in a 2-0 win at Kingsmeadow; an own goal from the keeper Misa Rodriguez gave Chelsea a 1-1 draw in the return game.
They eventually won the group with 16 points out of 18. Real were pipped to the runners-up spot Paris Saint-Germain.
7:19PMHayes to become world's highest-paid women's football coach
Here’s more on the news that Emma Hayes has agreed to become the USWNT head coach.
And here’s Tom Garry on what makes Hayes so special.
There are a host of reasons why USWNT supporters should be excited about Hayes’s appointment, from her proven ability to get the best out of individuals to her much-praised player management and the tactical nous she has highlighted in her work as a pundit as well as on the pitch. She will bring clarity around how she wants the team to play.
7:08PMReal Madrid team news
Madrid, who beat Real Sociedad 7-1 in Liga F on Friday, also make two changes: Claudio Zornoza and the captain Ivana Andres come in for Hayley Raso and Rocio Galvez.
6:55PMChelsea team news: Kirby starts, James on the bench
Emma Hayes makes a couple of changes from the weekend victory at Everton. Ashley Lawrence and Fran Kirby replace Eve Perisset and Jelena Cankovic respectively. Lauren James is once again on the bench.
6:54PMA big night in Madrid
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live coverage of Real Madrid v Chelsea at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium in Madrid. It’s the start of Emma Hayes’ last attempt to reach the promised land by winning the Women’s Champions League with Chelsea. They avoided the labyrinthine qualification phase, in which both Manchester United and Arsenal were eliminated. Now things are more straightforward: four groups of four, with the top two going through to the quarter-finals.
Real Madrid’s squad is full of players who won the World Cup with Spain in the summer, including Olga Carmona, who scored the only goal against England in the final. They are second in Liga F, a familiar position given Barcelona’s astonishing consistency over the last few years, with seven wins out of eight so far this season.
Chelsea are also in a familiar position - top of the WSL. They are favourites to win this group, though there are no guarantees in such a cut-throat competition. The other teams are BK Hacken, runners-up in Sweden, and Paris FC, a dangerous team who have already eliminated Arsenal and VfL Wolfsburg.
The confirmation of football’s worst-kept secret, that Hayes will leave Chelsea at the end of the season to become head coach of the United States Women’s National Team, adds another layer to tonight’s game and the whole season. Hayes has enjoyed extraordinary success since becoming head coach 11 years ago: six WSL titles, five FA Cups (including four Doubles) and two League Cups. Only one trophy has eluded her.
Chelsea have been getting closer. They reached the final in 2021, only to be taken apart by Barcelona. Yet though they went out in the semi-finals last season, they were arguably closer to glory. Chelsea again lost to the eventual winners – but this time it was 2-1 on aggregate and they gave Barcelona a scare in the second leg at the Camp Nou.
Before they can think about a possible reunion with Barcelona, they have another Spanish giant to consider.
Kick off is at 8pm in London, 9pm in Madrid.
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