Chelsea Manager Emma Hayes Claims Champions League Victory Stolen by Real Madrid
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes criticizes controversial refereeing decisions that marred her team's exciting 2-2 draw against Real Madrid, claiming they were unjustly denied a deserving victory in the Women's Champions League clash
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes expressed her frustration, claiming that her team was unfairly denied victory due to contentious refereeing decisions. These moments of controversy overshadowed an exciting 2-2 draw against Real Madrid in the Womens Champions League group stage on Wednesday. In the second half, Chelsea suffered from two pivotal decisions that went against them. Firstly, a penalty was awarded to Madrid in the 78th minute, prompting questioning of its validity. Secondly, a last-minute goal, which could have secured a win for Chelsea, was disallowed due to the offside ruling.
This image showcases Chelsea manager Emma Hayes at Kingsmeadow, London, during a Barclays Women's Super League match on Saturday, October 14, 2023. The photograph is taken by Zac Goodwin and is courtesy of PA Images via Getty Images.
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According to Reuters, there was no video assistant referee (VAR) available for the match in the Spanish capital, leading Hayes to claim that they were robbed of a 3-1 game.
Real Madrid took an early lead in the 10th minute when World Cup winner OIga Carmonas shot deflected off defender Millie Bright. Before halftime, Chelsea equalized with an impressive header from Niamh Charles into the corner of the net.
The reigning champion of the Womens Super League (WSL) then took a well-deserved lead as Sam Kerr finally managed to score against Madrids goalkeeper Misa RodrÃguez. Prior to this, Kerr's two previous attempts had been saved by the Australian goalkeeper.
Chelsea's control of the game was evident when referee Frida Klarlund granted Real Madrid a penalty following a tackle from Blues defender Jessie Fleming on Athenea del Castillo. Nonetheless, replays suggested that the initial contact took place outside the box, causing the forward to subsequently slide into the penalty area.
Chelsea's Millie Bright appeals to referee Frida Klarlund after the last-minute goal was disallowed.
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Carmona made no mistake from the spot, though, scoring her second of the game to bring her team level.
"It was evident from the bench that the tackle occurred outside the box, thus I am utterly astonished that the game officials failed to perceive it. The clarity of the situation was undeniable," expressed Hayes, who will part ways with Chelsea at the conclusion of the season to assume the role of head coach for the US Women's National Team.
"Admittedly, perhaps Jessie [Fleming] should not have lunged in that particular area, but it was undeniably outside the box. At this caliber of play, when we had the game under control, pivotal decisions working against you only serve to hinder progress."
Embarrassing
Chelsea continued to push for another goal, with second-half substitute Lauren James coming closest as she hit the crossbar with a long-range effort in the 89th minute.
In the last minute of injury time, the Blues appeared to have secured the victory when Charles executed a skillful goal from a short distance. However, the referee's assistant raised the flag for offside immediately, leading to bewilderment among both coaches and players.
Charles made a powerful run from a far position to meet a long pass towards the goal without being offside. On the contrary, Kerr was in an offside position and even made contact with a Madrid defender prior to the goal, although it can be argued that this did not affect the course of play.
Hayes further expressed frustration, saying, "Not only was there a free-kick wrongly given as a penalty, but we also scored a fantastic and unquestionably valid goal with Niamh [Charles] clearly onside. It is truly embarrassing."
I had to verify Niamhs positioning, but the goal was deemed offside because Sam [Kerr] was obstructing the goalkeeper. Sam is approximately seven yards away from the goalkeeper and not close at all, thus I fail to comprehend the decision in any way.
Chelsea players and staff looked confused by the decisions in the second half.
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CNN Sport has reached out to UEFA, European soccers governing body, for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.
Chelsea's draw in the match leaves them tied for second place in Group D with Madrid. However, Swedish club BK Häcken currently leads the group after defeating Paris FC 2-1 in the initial round of group stage matches. Real Madrid manager Alberto Toril expressed his satisfaction with both the team's performance and the result achieved against Chelsea.
"They are a great opponent. Chelsea are a very strong team with a lot of qualities," he said, per Reuters.
"This helps us a bit to gain confidence in the upcoming matches."
