Barcelona takes a commanding 4-1 lead over Chelsea in Women's Champions League semifinals series

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona recovered from a missed penalty by Alexia Putellas to take a commanding 4-1 lead over Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League semifinals on Sunday.

Putellas had her penalty kick saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton in the 12th minute but the Catalan club rallied with a pair of goals by substitute Claudia Pina and one each from Ewa Pajor and Irene Paredes.

Sandy Baltimore scored for Chelsea.

“No winning scoreline is enough,” Barcelona coach Pere Romeu said. “There’s huge evidence in soccer that you can’t ever rely on a first-leg lead. We are going to have a beautiful battle over there at Stamford Bridge.”

Chelsea will host the return semifinal leg next Sunday and the winner on aggregate will advance to the final in Lisbon next month.

It was the eighth straight win for defending champion Barcelona in the European women's competition. It has scored 40 goals across those eight consecutive wins since losing 2-0 to Manchester City.

Barcelona and Chelsea are meeting in the last four for the third consecutive season. Barcelona has advanced each time.

“I still believe in my team and my players, 100%,” Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor said. "It’ll be difficult, but the main goal is to score early in the return leg. In football everything is possible, so let’s try to win the game and, if we score early, maybe we can put Barcelona under pressure.”

Pajor opened the scoring in the 35th and Pina added to the lead in the 70th, not long after entering the match.

Baltimore pulled the visitors closer four minutes later, but Paredes gave Barcelona a two-goal lead again in the 82nd.

Pina added a fourth in the 90th at the Johan Cruyff stadium.

“When I’m on the bench, we’ve already spent a whole week analyzing a rival like Chelsea," Pina said. "You have lots of ideas in your head. When the game goes on, you progress those ideas and look at where your teammates are already creating gaps in the opponents’ defense.”

In the other semifinal series, Lyon weathered a second-half rally by Arsenal to claim a 2-1 away win on Saturday, putting the record eight-time champions on course for another Women's Champions League title match.

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

Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton holds the ball during the women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Barcelona's Ingrid Syrstad Engen vies for the ball with Chelsea's Mayra Ramirez, left, during the women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Barcelona's Claudia Pina celebrates after scoring her side's fourth goal during the women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Barcelona's Claudia Pina celebrates on the shoulders of Alexia Putellas, left, after scoring her side's fourth goal during the women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Barcelona's Irene Paredes, center, celebrates after scoring her side's third goal during the women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Chelsea's Lucy Bronze falls to the ground next to Barcelona's Ewa Pajor during the women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Barcelona's Irene Paredes runs after the ball during the women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Barcelona's Fridolina Rolfo and Patri Guijarro, right, celebrate after defeating Chelsea 4-1 in their women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Barcelona's Alexia Putellas, 2nd right, celebrates with teammates Ingrid Syrstad Engen and Patri Guijarro, right, after defeating Chelsea 4-1 in their women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

Barcelona's Ingrid Syrstad Engen, Claudia Pina, Ewa Pajor and Patri Guijarro, from left, celebrate after defeating Chelsea 4-1 in their women's Champions League semifinals, first leg, soccer match at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Sant Joan Despi, outside Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bagu Blanco)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)