Emily Keogh
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Emily Keogh
Correspondent
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Tom Hamilton
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Tom Hamilton
Senior Writer
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Sam Marsden
Apr 3, 2026, 09:00 AM
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The UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) quarterfinals are over, and there were some shock results and controversial decisions to pick through.
Chelsea were once again upset with the referee and VAR over the decision to not produce a late red card for Arsenal after a hair pull, but their 1-0 win wasn't enough to overturn a 3-2 defeat on aggregate. Meanwhile, UWCL debutants Manchester United were ahead for most of the game against Bayern Munich but conceded twice in the final 10 minutes to lose 2-1 on the night and go out 5-3.
In Thursday's games, Barcelona thrashed rivals Real Madrid 6-0 this time to seal their spot in the semifinals with an 12-2 win on aggregate, before OL Lyonnes needed extra time to secure a 4-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg and overturn their 1-0 defeat from the first leg.
That means it's Arsenal vs. OL Lyonnes and Barcelona vs. Bayern for the semis. So Emily Keogh, Tom Hamilton and Sam Marsden answer some of our burning questions.
VAR was in the spotlight again during Chelsea vs. Arsenal, but was that the only thing to blame for the Blues? And is their season a failure now?
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor rages at the referee after Arsenal avoided a late red card. Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Hamilton: VAR in this match specifically didn't have much of a bearing on the result, as the infamous hair pull from Katie McCabe on Alyssa Thompson happened in the 94th minute. Make no mistake, McCabe should have seen red, and the game deserves better decisions. But would her absence for the final couple of minutes have guaranteed that Chelsea scored a second? Unlikely.
That missed red card wasn't why Chelsea went out. Ultimately, the wrong decision in the first leg to disallow Veerle Buurman's goal just before half time was far more costly. But that's not why they failed to overturn the two-goal deficit on Wednesday.
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Chelsea weren't ruthless enough in front of goal, they failed to put Lauren James in positions where she could damage the opposition and Arsenal's goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar was in unbelievable form. She pulled off a string of ridiculous saves, including one to turn a Sam Kerr shot over the bar, another to block a James piledriver from the edge of the box, and then the best of the lot: turning Sjoeke Nusken's header onto the post.
Van Domselaar's heroics in goal helped Arsenal through, so Chelsea's failure was down to far more (in the second leg at least) than just VAR. And yes, overall, Chelsea's season is a failure. Sonia Bompastor said she wanted to win all four trophies at the start of the season, and the two biggest (Champions League and WSL) will elude them.
Keogh: Two things can be true at once: the officiating was poor, VAR wasn't applied as it should have been, and Chelsea were far too wasteful with their chances to deserve the win.
The issues in the first leg seemed to sap Chelsea of both energy and belief. After Buurman's goal was controversially ruled out, they entered the second leg on the back foot -- and, from their perspective, through little fault of their own. As a result, the intensity and edge that usually define them never fully materialized.
That said, external factors can only explain so much, and their failure to convert chances was ultimately decisive. Regardless of VAR's influence, it simply wasn't good enough to squander so many opportunities. Both the players and Bompastor acknowledged their lack of sharpness in front of goal, and that is where much of the fans' frustration lies.
This season will be judged a failure because Chelsea fell short of the standards they have set for themselves. There are mitigating circumstances -- a heavy injury list and off-pitch turbulence -- but while context matters, it does not excuse the shortcomings on the pitch.
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor showed a clip in her post-match interview, claiming Katie McCabe should have been sent off for a hair pull on Alyssa Thompson.
Sonia herself was shown a red card during the game for dissent after reacting towards the referee for not stopping play. pic.twitter.com/BoGHE2tCPs
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 2, 2026
Marsden: Forget VAR, this season is a step back and a failure for Chelsea -- regardless of whether or not they end up winning two domestic cups.
After dominating the Women's Super League, winning eight of the last 10 titles, the next step for a few years now has been to win the Champions League. They have come close, reaching the semifinal in each of the last three seasons, and looked to be bridging the gap on the established super powers of Barcelona and Lyonnes. However, that is no longer true. Despite heavy investment in the squad, the team have not improved under Bompastor.
Even if Arsenal are the holders, a quarterfinal exit to a domestic rival would have been considered unacceptable for Chelsea at any point in recent years. They won't even have the WSL to fall back on this year.
Are Bayern Munich the greatest UWCL team ever at scoring late, or were Manchester United just tired?
Keogh: It was a bit of both. Bayern have learned through several painful exits at this stage exactly what it takes to get over the line, while United were operating at their limits.
Bayern executed their game plan smartly; they knew that United's options off the bench were limited, and that sustaining intensity for the full 90 minutes would be a challenge. Set pieces have been a persistent weakness for United, and Bayern clearly targeted that.
There's also a broader pattern: United have conceded six goals in the closing stages of Champions League matches -- the joint-most of any team -- which shows their difficulty in seeing games out, an issue that has also surfaced domestically. Though Bayern wouldn't have planned to concede early and struggle in the first half, their performance in the second half, including the way United just backed off in their tired state, worked in their favour. So it comes down to a combination of factors.
Bayern have been ruthless and notably more mature this season, showing clear progression from previous campaigns. United, meanwhile, were down to the bare bones and gave everything they had, but ultimately, it wasn't enough.
Marsden: The German side have been absolute monsters in the second half of matches in Europe this season. They have a competition high eight goals after the 75th minute -- level with Wolfsburg, who have played two more games -- and another three between the 60th and 75th minute. That's over 50% of their 19 goals in this year's competition coming in the last 30 minutes of matches.
They have included a 94th minute winner at Juventus, three goals in the final half an hour of the comeback win at Arsenal and four goals after the 70th minute across the two ties with United.
It's been a real demonstration of mental resolve from José Barcala's team, who have bounced back impressively from an opening day 7-1 defeat to Barça back in September to set up a rematch in the semifinal.
Hamilton: In the first leg, Bayern's bench helped them keep the pressure on United, with Momoko Tanikawa's second-half introduction key. She helped swing the balance of the tie back in Bayern's favour, and her winning goal teed them up beautifully for the second leg. Come Munich, United's paper-thin squad was again exposed as Bayern finally got their breakthrough in the final 10 minutes.
United simply do not have the depth to compete in both the league and Europe, so it's admirable they got as far as they did. Compare the strength of Bayern's bench with United's: United had just four outfield players among their substitutes, while Bayern had the luxury of leaving Sweden's Magda Eriksson, Poland striker Natalia Padilla, Austria legend Barbara Dunst, Spain's Edna Imade and promising youngster Luzie Zahringer all unused on the bench.
And the two players they did use -- Denmark's Stine Ballisager and Italy's Adrianna Caruso -- are hugely experienced. It's a different world.
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Le Tissier frustrated to see Man United eliminated by Bayern set pieces
Maya Le Tissier reflects on Manchester United's first ever Women's Champions League campaign after defeat to Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.
What, if anything, can Real Madrid do to close the gap to Barcelona? Cos this week was bad...
Marsden: The most obvious thing is to spend more money, sign better players and improve the squad depth. Although as coach Pau Quesada pointed out after a humiliating week of Clásicos, it's not that easy.
"Of the best 20 players in the world, maybe 10 are here [at Barça]," he said. "So if you want to sign better players, it's very hard."
The frustration for Madrid is that it looked like they had started to close the gap. A second consecutive Champions League quarterfinal appearance after an encouraging league phase -- including a narrow 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in London -- is clear proof they are improving. It was an upward trend that had been sparked by last March's win over Barça -- their first, and only, Clásico victory ever -- but this week has felt like a step backwards, with the 12-2 Champions League aggregate defeat sandwiching a 3-0 loss to Barça in Liga F.
It's for that reason a massive reset mentally may be needed this summer as much as any spending to recover from what has been a harrowing eight days.
Alexia Putellas was in fine form on her 500th apperance. Getty
Keogh: It's a situation reminiscent of the questions put to Man United boss Marc Skinner after his side's 5-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern. In the aftermath, he remarked that sometimes it takes "a punch in the face to wake up," urging greater investment from the club to keep pace with rivals. That analogy feels apt here.
A 12-2 aggregate humbling should be exactly that for Real Madrid: a wake-up call. With 24 defeats in 25 meetings, the pattern is impossible to ignore. You might expect that, after repeated setbacks, change would already have come, but perhaps the manner of this loss, failing to register a single shot on target in the second leg and being comprehensively outplayed by their fiercest rivals, will finally force action.
There have been plenty of explanations offered for the disparity between the clubs, but acknowledging the problem without addressing it risks becoming little more than a broken record. For an institution as powerful and successful as Real Madrid, this has to be the moment that prompts genuine commitment. Anything less, and the gap will only continue to widen.
Hamilton: The contrast between where the two teams are could not be greater. A crowd of 60,067 fans were packed into Camp Nou on Thursday to watch the great Alexia Putellas score the opener on her 500th appearance. The first leg last week in Madrid, in comparison, drew 4,203 fans.
Madrid don't have a player like Putellas, let alone one who has been there from basically the start, molding the culture and evolution of the team. Madrid didn't manage a single shot on target in Barcelona, with the hosts now winning 24 of their 25 meetings. It was humbling and showed the gulf between the two sides.
So what can Real Madrid do? Start building, immediately. And this is a root and branch process: invest in the playing squad, bring in quality players for the present and future, and develop the academy. Also work on the mentality of the group, and ensure Linda Caicedo sticks to her contract through to 2030. This isn't going to happen overnight. At the moment they're playing in the same league, but operating on completely different levels.
Lyonnes have shown some weaknesses this season, do they have enough to get past Arsenal?
Keogh: For me, OL Lyonnes have the strongest squad in the competition right now. Some of the issues in their labored second-leg victory can be attributed to a side still adapting under Jonatan Giráldez, who is less than a season into his tenure and still working out how best to unlock the depth and quality at his disposal. These feel like teething problems rather than structural flaws.
Lyonnes' ability to grind vs. Wolfsburg -- racking up 37 shots and still finding a way through, even if it took extra time -- is exactly why they are eight-time champions. They also restricted Wolfsburg to limited opportunities, albeit aided by a poor gameplan, and their late flurry of goals underlined a key trait that when their backs are against the wall, they will find a way through.
A fiery test now awaits against holders Arsenal who they beat 2-1 in the league phase. Lyonnes will have another point to prove in the semifinals after last year's elimination at the hands of the Gunners, but they can draw confidence from that earlier victory.
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Hamilton: The second leg was a familiar tale for Lyonnes: plenty of possession, time in front of goal, but not the return on the scoreboard. We've seen that before this tournament from them, where they have been far too profligate in front of goal. So if they are to get past Arsenal, then we need to see their ruthless nature come to the fore.
There is no doubt Lyonnes have the quality to win the entire tournament. Until Barcelona stuck 12 on Real Madrid over the two legs, I fancied Lyonnes to have a fairly clean run at winning the whole thing. The French side's array of attacking talent is breathtaking, and they have class throughout the spine of their team. Their strength in depth must also be the envy of just about every other team in the tournament, and have the experience of having won this multiple times before.
But Arsenal are a confident bunch, and have their own fair share of wonderful players. They're also reigning champions. So all in all, this is going to be a fascinating match-up. Lyonnes definitely have enough to get past Arsenal, but they need to be at their best.
Marsden: Look at some of the players Lyonnes brought off the bench to close out their win against Wolfsburg in extra time: Melchie Dumornay, Damaris Egurrola, Tabitha Chawinga and Marie-Antoinette Katoto. Dumornay, Egurrola and Chawinga all scored and Katoto grabbed an assist. Their depth should be the envy of Europe.
However, the feeling is that they have not quite reached top gear under Giráldez. They are running away with the French league again but were tested in the league phase by Juventus and needed an additional 30 minutes to finally see off Wolfsburg after suffering a surprise loss in Germany last week.
That said, they were worthy winners, with an xG in their favour of 5.99-1.53 over the two legs, and start as favourites against Arsenal. However, the tie is difficult to call. There is the added spice of Lyonnes wanting revenge for last year's loss to the Gunners, who seem to have a different aura to them when Champions League nights come around.