April 27th 2024.
In a tough and heart-wrenching defeat, Chelsea's manager Emma Hayes has voiced her frustration over the controversial decisions made by referee Iuliana Demetrescu during their Champions League semi-final match against Barcelona. Despite leading 1-0 from the first leg, the west Londoners were unable to secure a victory and ultimately lost 2-0 in front of a sold-out Stamford Bridge.
The match was not without controversy, as Demetrescu's decisions heavily favored Barcelona. The first major decision saw Chelsea's Kadeisha Buchanan being shown a second yellow card, which Hayes believes was an unjust and soft call. The second decision, an equally debatable penalty awarded to Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati, was also met with criticism.
Despite the video assistant referee (VAR) reviewing the penalty call, the on-field decision was not overturned, and the VAR had no power to intervene on the yellow card for Buchanan. Hayes, who is in her final season with Chelsea, was visibly furious after the match and could be seen mouthing "we've been robbed" when the final whistle blew.
In her post-match press conference, Hayes did not hold back in her criticism of Demetrescu, even going as far as to say that Buchanan's dismissal will go down as the worst decision in the history of the Women's Champions League. She explained that her team was gaining momentum in the second half, and the players were feeling confident before the controversial call changed the course of the game.
Hayes also revealed that even Barcelona's players acknowledged the referee's bias towards their team. She strongly disagreed with Buchanan's yellow card and felt that it was a crucial factor in their loss. Hayes believes that everything went in Barcelona's favor, with two yellow cards, a deflection, and a penalty, while nothing went their way.
The manager was particularly disappointed with the penalty decision, calling it equally soft, but acknowledging that Barcelona's Bonmati is a clever player who took advantage of the situation. She also expressed her frustration with the fourth official, who informed her that the yellow card could not be reviewed.
Despite the tough defeat, Hayes was proud of her team and their performance against a top team like Barcelona. However, the controversial decisions made by the referee took away their chance to fight for the win, and that is what Hayes finds most difficult to accept. She ended her statements by saying that when everything is not in your favor, it becomes almost impossible to win against a strong team like Barcelona.
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