Keira Walsh Sends Message to Barça

"This isn't over," said Chelsea's Keira Walsh, a former Barça player, after their 4-1 defeat in Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal.

While Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor almost admitted defeat with a cautious tone after the heavy loss, one of her players remained more optimistic. Keira Walsh, the 28-year-old England international who spent three seasons at Barça, made it clear that there’s still hope ahead of next week’s second leg in London. After the match, Walsh greeted her former teammates, just as Lucy Bronze did, and said: “If we’d managed to hold it at 2-1, played a bit smarter, the return leg would have been easier. We were too open trying to score a goal.”

She added: “In the last round, we had to come back from three goals against Manchester City — and we did it. So we know we can do it against Barça too. We just need to add more intensity and stop showing them so much respect. Plus, we’re playing at home. The tie isn’t over. We want to win the Champions League — it’s the most important competition.”