Champions League
Chelsea Endures Unfair Refereeing Decisions In Women’s Champions League Clash Against Real Madrid
Chelsea embarked on their maiden group stage attempt, aiming for their inaugural victory, but faced adversity in Spain from the get-go. Real Madrid surged ahead early, courtesy of Olga Carmona, Spain’s World Cup-winning scorer, slotting one in at the 10-minute mark.
Emma Hayes’ squad swiftly retaliated, with Niamh Charles and Sam Kerr notching goals, only to see Carmona equalize for the hosts from the penalty spot late on. However, contentious officiating decisions marred Chelsea’s performance, frustrating Hayes, her players, and fans.
The penalty call, triggered by Real’s Athenea Del Castillo’s fall in the box, clearly displayed initial contact from Blues’ midfielder Jessie Fleming outside the area. To make matters worse, Chelsea thought they had scored another goal, but it was disallowed for offside. Left-back Charles appeared to have scored from a free kick, but her attempt was ruled invalid after a foul was suspected. Despite controversy over the goal scorer’s positioning in an offside position, claims were also made that Kerr interfered with the goalkeeper.
However, the video showed that Kerr did not block the goalkeeper’s view. Hayes expressed his frustration in the post-match press conference and then fiercely contested the offside call, saying Kerr had no intention of interfering with the goalkeeper.
She expressed surprise, calling Niamh Charles’ disallowed goal “legitimate” and calling the situation “embarrassing.” Hayes, who watched the incident from the bench, expressed disbelief at the fact that match officials were unable to clearly identify the location of the infringement outside the penalty area.
