Chelsea has set up a seductive collision with Barcelona in the semi -final of the Women's Champions League, from two goals behind to secure a fantastic turning point on Stamford Bridge.
In the final of their four consecutive games, the blues came in the front match in the final, after they had picked up their victories in the League Cup final and the competition, sandwiched by a 2-0 defeat in the first stage of this quarterfinals.
The moment Sonia Bompastor stated that she 'could not care' for the end of her own 28-game undefeated series. And with Chelsea who lost the only game that ultimately meant nothing in the end, it now seems that the assessment was perfect.
“I said we lived after the first stage and I knew it was possible, even if I knew the challenge would be difficult,” she said after the Thursday evening's victory.
'But I think it is important for us to bounce back and have the opportunity to lose games and see how we can respond as a team. For me I think we have placed a lot of energy as staff and myself as a manager from the first stage to ensure that the plan was the right one.
“You never know until you play the game and you get a good result.”
This game looked like it would start on a relatively even keel, albeit with the knowledge that Bompastor would throw the sink in a place in the semi-final of Europe's Elite competition.
After all, this was one of the main reasons why the triple Champions League winner (two as a player and one as a manager) had been brought to the club for her wealth of experience.
And finally after tonight this decision seems to be justified. At least until they come up against an empire -looking Barcelona side, who themselves turn 10 past Wolfsburg to aggregated, admitted twice.
City was availability on their bare bones in terms of their squadron, in which Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Aoba Fujino are still excluded in addition to the absent absent from Lionesses Duo Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood in the longer term.
They only took five substitutes – and only the attacking option in Jess Park – in the night, half the number of their opponents.
Stadsbaas Nick Cushing rested his lack of team in depth after the game and said: 'If you come in a quarterfinals of the Champions League, you want to put your best players on the field.
'To have Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp and demonstrably a goalkeeper who competes for the number one shirt and then not our number nine that contributed to most goals we have had. It's hard, right? But I don't make an excuse here.
'I knew the task and the challenge I had when I took over. And all I always want from my teams is to show the real fight, determination and faith. And you can see that there. The team pushed that match to the end to the end. '
Despite their 2-0 lead, City looked more nervous at night and it took a little less than 15 minutes for Chelsea to find the opener.
For the disappointment of Cushing it came as a result of city movement. Lucy Bronze took control, took her way into the box and broke it from the outside of her foot to the goal of her lioness Teammate Khiara Keating.
The ball returned with some cruelty of the post and Sandy Baltimore, unark and with enough time to think about it, sent him in the extreme right -wing angle.
A Chelsea -Penalty Screies followed, where the referee waved the insistence of Bompastor that it was contaminated in the box.
But the French coach was not sweating on the sidelines for long.
Baltimore came again, this time from the corner flag, her set piece Tee on Nathalie Bjorn, who jumped higher than the rest, ending the draw for a euphoric shed.
From there the city started to crumble.
Cushing gestured to his team to calm down after a panicky hoof brought the ball back to the grateful possession of Chelsea, but his demands seemed to fall on deaf ears, where Mayra Ramirez made it three before the rest after Chelsea was once again capitalized.
Cushing pushed Miedema – who struggled to establish himself in the first half – in a more central attacking position during the break.
The interim boss also brought Laura Coombs to strengthen the defense, and both movements seemed to balance things.
City had a good part of the chances in the second half – in particular the row of Miedema from outside the box that flew a whisker wide from the post – but furthermore Chelsea largely looked comfortable to admit possession.
Millie Bright and Bjorn have turned out to be a formidable center-back partnership this season, and the two were again for Hannah Hampton for a long time.
Park came before Jill Roord in the 65th minute and brought some energy to the tiring legs of the city, but the side of Bompastor never admitted.
The next is Liga F Giants Barcelona-Die Chelsea has lost their last two semi-final in a row.
But if there is a will, there is a way. And having the team of depth that Chelsea owns certainly also does it to help.
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