Chelsea rallies past Man City to reach Women's Champions League semifinals vs. Barcelona

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea staged a big first-half comeback to march into the semifinals of the Women’s Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Manchester City on Thursday.

Sandy Baltimore scored early in the all-England quarterfinal at Stamford Bridge before Nathalie Björn and Mayra Ramírez netted in a five-minute span to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg and set up a last-four matchup against defending champion Barcelona.

“We were never in doubt," Chelsea captain Millie Bright told TNT Sports. “We had full confidence in ourselves. We could have had way more than three goals. Unbelievable mentality and desire to come back. A true Chelsea performance.”

Baltimore gave Chelsea a 1-0 lead on a rebound with a left-footed, one-timed strike after a low shot from Lucy Bronze hit the post in the 14th.

Björn headed in to double the advantage in the 38th before Lauren James set up Ramírez, whose shot beat goalkeeper Khiara Keating and put Chelsea ahead 3-2 on aggregate.

Last week, City had ended Chelsea’s unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory to become the first team to defeat Chelsea under coach Sonia Bompastor — in her team’s 29th game of the season.

Barcelona remained on course for a third straight Women’s Champions League title after routing Wolfsburg 6-1 in the second leg of their quarterfinal encounter.

Forward Salma Paralluelo and Clàudia Pina each scored twice as Barcelona reached the semifinal on a massive 10-2 aggregate score. The Catalan powerhouse has scored a total of 36 goals in eight games in the competition this season.

Barcelona won 4-1 in the first leg last week in the first meeting of the two teams since the Spanish side beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the 2023 Champions League final.

It was nowhere near that margin again at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

Paralluelo completed a fast move with a clinical left-footed low finish from the left corner of the area 10 minutes in. Only 10 minutes later, Esmee Brugts cut back for her from the left to add the second from inside the box before dancing with her smiling teammates in celebration.

Brugts made it 3-0 with a powerful drive from some 20 meters (yards) to beat goalkeeper Anneke Borbe.

Pina controlled the ball with her left foot before unleashing a right-footed strike from the edge of the area to add the fourth in the 62nd, less than four minutes after coming on as substitute.

Only then did Wolfsburg respond, when substitute Lineth Beerensteyn scored with her first touch of the ball.

But Pina curled in a free kick for her second and seventh of the campaign in the 77th and María León netted the sixth from a long-distance free kick in stoppage time.

“Alexia (Putellas) and María León gave me some really good service and when my first touch is good, it helps with confidence," Pina said. "We’re really happy with how we played and what we’ve done.”

Record eight-time winner Lyon outclassed Bayern Munich 4-1 on Wednesday to set up the other semifinal against Arsenal as the London club staged a remarkable comeback to advance with a 3-0 win over Real Madrid.

Barcelona and Lyon have met in the final in three of the past six seasons, including last year.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's Vivianne Miedema, left, and Chelsea's Wieke Kaptein, right, challenge for the ball during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Chelsea's scorer Mayra Ramirez, center, and her teammates Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, left, and Lauren James, right, celebrate their side's third goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Mayra Ramirez, right, scores her side's third goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chelsea's scorer Nathalie Bjoern and her temmates celebrate their side's second goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Nathalie Bjoern, third left, scortes her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Nathalie Bjoern, front center, celebrates scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Nathalie Bjoern celebrates scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Nathalie Bjorn, left, and Manchester City's Vivianne Miedema, right, challenge for the ball during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Wieke Kaptein, left, and Manchester City's Leila Ouahabi, right, challenge for the ball during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and Manchester City in London, England, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Barcelona's Claudia Pina celebrates after scoring her side's fifth goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Salma Paralluelo, centre tries to cross the ball during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Salma Paralluelo celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

CORRECTS ID OF PLAYER AT LEFT Barcelona's Salma Paralluelo, right, celebrates with Barcelona's Vicky Lopez, left and Barcelona's Jana Fernandez after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

CORRECTS ID OF PLAYER AT LEFT Barcelona's Salma Paralluelo, right, celebrates with Barcelona's Vicky Lopez, left and Barcelona's Jana Fernandez after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Salma Paralluelo, right, scores the opening goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

COLOGNE, Germany & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 31, 2025--

Cleverbridge, a leading provider of ecommerce and billing solutions for global software companies, today announced the appointment of Richard Stevenson as Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2025. He succeeds Wendi Sturgis, who will transition into a board advisory role.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250331550834/en/

With over 25 years of leadership across B2B software and B2C financial services, Richard brings deep operational and strategic expertise to Cleverbridge. He has held executive roles at companies undergoing rapid transformation and global expansion, including CEO of Standard Life’s DACH region and VP and GM at Uniphore, where he led the company’s European growth following its acquisition of Red Box. Throughout his career, Richard has been at the forefront of launching and scaling innovative SaaS platforms, including Conversa, the first open Enterprise Voice AI platform.

“I am delighted with Richard’s appointment,” said Tom Buehlmann, Chairman of the Board at Cleverbridge. “Richard pairs extensive experience leading global technology growth companies with significant industry-specific knowledge in SaaS and financial services. His expertise and leadership skills will be decisive for the next stage of Cleverbridge’s growth.”

Buehlmann also expressed gratitude to outgoing CEO Wendi Sturgis: “I would like to thank Wendi for all her contributions. With her energy and commitment, she has made a major impact on Cleverbridge’s journey thus far — building a profitable growth trajectory and positioning us as a market-leading merchant of record provider.”

Founded in 2005 in Cologne (Germany) and Chicago (Illinois, USA), Cleverbridge has grown to a global team of 300+ employees, setting new standards as a leading merchant of record (MoR) solution provider. Some of the world’s largest technology companies — including Red Hat, Dassault Systèmes, and Sony — trust Cleverbridge to process payments, manage subscriptions, and simplify the complexities of global ecommerce. In 2024, Cleverbridge achieved record growth, expanding its client portfolio across industries while maintaining 99% logo retention and 100% platform uptime.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past few years — from deepening our client relationships to advancing our global ecommerce capabilities,” said Sturgis. “With strong momentum in place, I’m confident that Richard will bring the right leadership and expertise to build on that success. I look forward to supporting him and the company as it moves into a new chapter.”

“This is an exciting time to join Cleverbridge,” said Stevenson. “Wendi and the team have built a strong foundation and positioned the company for long-term success. I’m honored to take the helm and look forward to accelerating our momentum in the market. Above all, we remain deeply committed to delivering exceptional value to our clients and supporting their success in an increasingly complex ecommerce landscape.”

For more information, visit grow.cleverbridge.com or follow Cleverbridge on LinkedIn.

About Cleverbridge

Cleverbridge is the all-in-one ecommerce platform for global subscription businesses. As a merchant of record (MoR), we consolidate the essential components of an ecommerce solution – including payments, subscription management, tax/VAT handling, and regulatory compliance – to help businesses offload operational work and automate digital transactions throughout the customer lifecycle. Since 2005, leading B2B and B2C technology companies across industries have trusted Cleverbridge to deliver frictionless buying experiences and optimize acquisition, expansion, and retention in over 240 countries and territories. Learn more at grow.cleverbridge.com.

Richard Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer of Cleverbridge