Niamh Charles is still just 24 years old, but there was a sense that the Chelsea defender came of age in last week’s 1-0 victory over Barcelona.
The Catalans managed just one shot on target as Charles and her team-mates restricted the reigning European champions to half chances.
Charles was part of the Chelsea team that was beaten 4-0 by Barca in the 2021 final. The defender, then 21, had a particularly tough evening - as did many of her team-mates.
In last season’s semi-final against Barca, she showed vast improvement - but there was still a gap.