Hayes' Bridge farewell ends in tears as European dream dies

Emma Hayes' entrance at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was greeted with a roar as she waved to the crowd and smiled - but she left the pitch in tears, blowing kisses, as Chelsea's European dream was ended yet again by Barcelona.

The Spanish giants have become Chelsea's nemesis in the Women's Champions League, inflicting defeat in the 2021 final and now two consecutive semi-finals.

And this latest blow hurt the most.

A stunning result in Spain on 20 April meant Chelsea went into Saturday's second leg with a 1-0 lead and plenty of optimism.

The lead, though, was quickly cancelled out by Aitana Bonmati's deflected strike.

Two contentious decisions from referee Iuliana Demetrescu would follow on a painful night in London - the second booking of Chelsea defender Kadeisha Buchanan and a penalty for the defending champions that was converted by Fridolina Rolfo.

Both decisions would play a major part in Chelsea's defeat at a sold-out Stamford Bridge, where home fans had flocked in the hope that Hayes could have the send-off her successful 12-year tenure deserved.

Instead, this tie ended in heartbreak for Hayes and for Chelsea, going down 2-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate.

The manager sat in a packed media conference room afterwards, clearly holding back tears, as she described Demetrescu's decision to send off Buchanan as the "worst in Champions League history".

She claimed her side had been "robbed" of the chance to challenge Barcelona's European dominance - a task that was "already hard enough".

Hayes and her players might have dreamed about celebrating a place in the final, but instead there was the familiar image of Barcelona's squad dancing and singing, with echoes of their delight drifting into the media conference area as they made their way into the dressing room.

Chelsea fans stayed back to pay tribute to Hayes after a frenetic ending to a pulsating tie - but it was not the way they had planned it.

The Women's Champions League is the one trophy that has eluded Hayes with Chelsea.

She was part of the Arsenal coaching staff when the Gunners won the European title in 2007, and to fall agonisingly short again at Chelsea means there is a significant missing piece from her team's collection of silverware.

This was, of course, not all about Hayes.

Her ambition has been matched by the club and the players as they embarked on a journey throughout her 12 years, all with the intention of winning this most prized trophy.

Captain Millie Bright, who has played in all of Hayes' seasons at the club, joined her manager in tears as they huddled together on the pitch for a post-match debrief.

Bright had come on as a substitute, appearing for the first time in five months having recovered from injury, but she could do nothing to change their fortunes with Chelsea already a player down and a goal down on aggregate.

Other warriors of Hayes' tenure endured the pain too - Scotland international Erin Cuthbert, who has worn the armband in Bright's absence a lot this season, was on her knees at full-time and needed consoling by goalkeeper Zecira Musovic.

They had done all they could, but it was still not enough to beat the best team in the world.

While Hayes' farewell to Stamford Bridge ended in utter disappointment, there is still a big game to come at their usual home, Kingsmeadow.

Among the four Women's Super League matches they still have to play is a home game with relegation-bound Bristol City on 5 May.

That, along with the three away matches, will carry great significance as Chelsea look to defend their WSL title against a strong challenge from rivals Manchester City.

It is the only trophy Chelsea can win this season, having already been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions.

Talk of a fairytale ending for Hayes at the club has quickly vanished. A quadruple was on the cards until recently, and being spoken about among the players, but Chelsea could yet finish empty-handed.

As Cuthbert rightly said last week, Hayes' "legacy will not be defined" by their Champions League journey - but the idea she could leave without any trophy in 2024, having lifted so many throughout her years in charge, would have seemed almost absurd just weeks ago.

This is not how the story is supposed to end. When the tears dry up and the emotions cool down, Chelsea must respond.