Emma Hayes said it was hard for her to watch Chelsea beat Lyon on Thursday night because she has never won a penalty shootout with her team. Chelsea had a 1-0 lead going into the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea makes it to the Champions League semi-finals
Still, goals from Vanessa Gilles and Sara Dabritz put them in danger as extra time was coming to a close. But the Blues got a chance to win when referee Ivana Martincic gave them a penalty for a foul by Vicki Becho on Lauren James after a VAR review that took almost five minutes.
Maren Mjelde scored from the penalty spot to send the game to penalties. Mjelde scored Chelsea’s first penalty, and Ann-Katrin Berger stopped Wendie Renard and Lindsey Horan from sending the home team to the semifinals.
Chelsea will now face Barcelona in late April, who thrashed them 4-0 in the final in 2021, but asked about their dramatic victory over Lyon. Hayes said: “I didn’t want to watch the shootout until Guro (Reiten) made me. We have never won a penalty shootout as a team, so can you imagine what was going on in my mind?
“I was forced into every substitution tonight – they were injuries in every case. Also, I had to be so conscious, even in extra time, that the penalty takers were on the pitch.
“I didn’t see a goal in us, to be honest. When I see Lyon’s subs coming on, world-class talent one after another, we managed the best we could given the circumstances. It was the most character-building performance, even if it was the ugliest.
