Barcelona beat Chelsea to reach the final of the Women's Champions League

A controversial 2-0 win over Chelsea in Saturday's semi-final second leg secured Barcelona's place in the Women's Champions League final.

Jonatan Giraldez's team took the lead at Stamford Bridge through Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati after trailing 1-0 from the first leg.

In the second half, Chelsea's Kadeisha Buchanan was sent off for a second booking.

Fridolina Rolfo's controversial penalty sealed Barcelona's 2-1 aggregate victory.

Barca will face Paris Saint-Germain or Lyon in the final in Bilbao on May 25, with Lyon leading 3-2 following the second leg of their semi-final on Sunday.

This will be Barcelona's fourth successive final berth as they attempt to win the trophy for the third time in a row.

Barcelona's five-year home unbeaten streak came to an end last week when Chelsea won the first leg.

To beat "the best team in the world" again in the rematch, Chelsea will have to produce a perfect performance, according to Blues boss Emma Hayes, who will lead the USA women's national team next season.

The wait for Chelsea's first Champions League title continues as they failed to rise to the challenge.

After losing to Barca in the final of the Champions League in 2021, they have now lost to the Spanish club in consecutive semi-finals.

Another sign of the huge popularity of the women's game in England is the fact that Stamford Bridge was sold out for the first time ever for a female match.

The Chelsea fans were destined to go home disappointed, with Bonmati firing an early warning shot that Hannah Hampton saved with her right hand.

In the 25th minute, Bonmati punished Chelsea for failing to heed the threat.

As Chelsea conceded possession in a sloppy manner, Bonmati side-stepped Niamh Charles on the edge of the area before unloading a fierce strike that deflected in off Buchanan.

Currently, Bonmati is tied with Alexia Putellas for the most goals scored in the Women's Champions League for Barcelona.

Hayes' team should have leveled when Sjoeke Nusken seized on a wayward back pass and picked out Lauren James, but her tame finish let Barca off.

In the second half, Nusken came inches away from equalizing with a shot that cannoned off the post.

In the 59th minute, Buchanan was sent off for a challenge on Patri Guijarro that appeared to take the ball, but was deemed a second yellow card.

When Jess Carter and Ashley Lawrence fouled Bonmati in the area in the 75th minute, Barca delivered the knockout blow.

Despite Chelsea's complaints, Rolfo stepped up to send Hampton the wrong way with a composed spot-kick as Barcelona won another final.