Chelsea captain Millie Bright has praised her side’s ‘unbelievable mentality’ and embraced the challenge of facing Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals as they continue their hunt for a historic quadruple.
Goals from Sandy Baltimore, Nathalie Björn and Mayra Ramírez booked Chelsea a ticket to the UWCL semifinal on Thursday as the London side overturned a 2-0 deficit against Manchester City.
Chelsea now face an even bigger challenge in the form of three-time champions Barça as they look to beat the Liga F side that have halted their hunt for European success over the past two seasons.
When asked about facing the reigning champions, Bright’s response was simple.
“We are a new team, we are on a new journey, we are in a new era,” she said. “Bring it on.”
The opportunity for a quadruple is on the table for Chelsea after they beat City to win the Women’s League Cup in March and sit eight points clear at the top of the WSL table. Their FA Cup campaign is ongoing as they prepare to face Liverpool in the semifinals on April 12.
Former Chelsea midfielder Karen Carney backed the Blues in their quest for European success after their triumphant comeback win in the quarterfinal.
“The quadruple mentality is back on,” Carney said on TNT Sports.
“They are not stopping, they are a train and when they are on it, you can’t stop them. They will be thinking ‘we want that quadruple and we are not going to stop.'”
Chelsea were ruthless against City on Thursday in their attempt to keep their European dream alive. The home side registered 11 shots on target to win the match in the first half despite the uphill climb they faced to overturn Vivianne Miedema‘s first leg double.
“We were never in doubt. We had full confidence in ourselves. We could have had way more than three goals,” Bright said.
“[We have an] unbelievable mentality and desire to come back. It was a true Chelsea performance.”
