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Emma Hayes slammed Kadeisha Buchanan’s red card as the “worst decision in the history of the Women’s Champions League” after her Chelsea team suffered heartbreak against Barcelona.
The Blues went into the second leg of the semi-final with a 1-0 lead after last week’s victory in Spain, but a first-half goal from Aitana Bonmati brought Barça level before Fridolina Rolfo converted a penalty in the minute 75.
Hayes considered the decision “soft”, but was angered by referee Iuliana Demetrescu’s decision to give Kadeisha Buchanan a second yellow card on the hour mark with the tie at stake.
Replays showed that Buchanan had won the ball, but as it was a second yellow rather than a straight red, VAR was unable to intervene.
“We were robbed,” Hayes said. “Even the Barcelona players said that the referee helped them. I didn’t think it was a foul, much less a yellow card.
Emma Hayes (pictured above) criticized Kadeisha Buchanan’s red card as the “worst decision in Women’s Champions League history”
Hayes deemed the decision “soft” but was infuriated when referee Iuliana Demetrescu’s decision showed Kadeisha Buchanan a second yellow card on the hour.
Replays showed Buchanan had won the ball, but because it was a second yellow rather than a straight red, VAR was unable to intervene.
“When you lose a game, for us we didn’t feel like we had a chance to lose it, that was taken away from us.”
‘I was surprised when I saw her (the referee) selected, she is known for her easy cards. That was probably the worst decision in the history of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
“I really think we were on top of the game, as soon as we hit the post, we could feel the momentum going in that direction.”
“I stood there and looked at the fourth official and said ‘surely that will be reviewed’ and she said ‘you can’t do it with a yellow card’. “There’s nothing you can do when it’s such a terrible decision and it’s difficult enough.
‘The official has made a horrible decision. We can’t talk about anything else.
‘I thought she was equally soft, but Bonmati is an incredible player. Since Ash is out of her, she is smart. She leaves her leg there.
“You need everything to go well, two yellow cards, a deflection and a penalty, everything went well.”
Barça’s winning goal came from the penalty spot, but that decision was also controversial, as replays indicated that Bonmati had initiated Ashley Lawrence’s contact.
Barça’s winning goal came from the penalty spot, but that decision was also controversial, as replays indicated that Bonmati had initiated Ashley Lawrence’s contact.
‘I thought she was equally soft, but Bonmati is an incredible player. Since Ash is out of her, she is smart. She leaves her leg there.
‘They didn’t have any great opportunities all night. Until the second yellow we were ahead. I could feel the momentum of the crowd and the players.
‘We can’t do anything about it. We expect the best from our officials. It’s really hard to accept.’
