FROM STAMFORD BRIDGE: Chelsea quickly overcame Celtic FC to cement their place at the top of the UEFA Girls’ Champions League (UWCL) group stage on Wednesday night.
A bright start at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea take the lead just a minute later thanks to a spectacular Lucy Bronze volley. A first UWCL goal from Wieke Kaptein and a penalty from Eve Perisset cemented the victory for the Blues, who are yet to drop a point under new management Sonia Bompastor.
The victory means Chelsea consolidate their place at the top of their group, ensuring qualification to the next round of the European competition. Celtic, however, are still waiting for a point at the bottom of the table.
How the game developed
Chelsea earned an early corner, threatening Celtic from the first whistle. The hosts took the lead in just one minute, when Sjoeke Nusken and Catarina Macario combined a short corner on the edge of the area. None other than Lucy Bronze would receive the looping cross, sending her first shot into the back of the net.
Macario had the chance to double Chelsea’s lead minutes later when his quick feet sliced through the Celtic defense before sending his shot just over the bar.
It was a night of joy and hope for Elena Sadiku’s side in the early stages as Celtic’s only real chances came from long balls over the top which were quickly canceled out by the Chelsea defence.
The visitors created their best chance in the 18th minute, when Amy Gallacher found Murphy Agnew with a line-breaking pass down the column. Agnew sensed the presence of Millie Vivid, who followed her, sending her shot wide in haste.
Chelsea’s set-piece prowess paid off again in the 24th minute, when a short corner combination gave Guro Reiten time to deliver a cross into the box. A very timely run by Wieke Kaptein allowed him to receive the ball in the air and score the second for the Blues.
The second half continued as it ended, with Chelsea orchestrating the proceedings. Les Bleus attacked early, but Kaptein’s long-range shot went over the crossbar. Minutes later, Rytting Kaneryd had a similar opportunity, but once again his spin shot was just over the target.
A mistake at the back almost opened the door for the visitors in the dying moments, when Zecira Musovic lost possession on the edge of the area. The Chelsea goalkeeper breathed a sigh of relief when the Celtic striker was caught offside.
Late drama saw the hosts awarded a penalty, as Shannon McGregor was caught for a handball inside the area. Eve Perisset stepped up and calmly scored Chelsea’s third goal of the night.
Portero: Zecira Musovic – 7/10 – He didn’t have much work that night as Celtic only recorded one shot on goal in the entire match. They almost made a costly mistake in the final moments when they lost possession in the final third.
RB: Lucy Bronce – 9/10 – An incredible first-minute volley gave Chelsea the lead at Stamford Bridge and set the tone for the rest of Bronze’s evening. A strong and intelligent performance from the English defender.
CB: Maelys Mpome – 8/10 – A much better performance from the centre-back compared to the first leg. She looked very confident defensively alongside Vivid, and proved to be a brilliant defensive outlet for Chelsea.
CB: Brilliant Millie (c) – 8/10 – A really solid performance from the Chelsea captain. He eliminated all the balls that Celtic tried to play over the top and did well to organize the Blues’ defense.
LB: Ashley Lawrence – 8/10 – Another great performance from a reliable defender, Lawrence did well to combine with Reiten out wide to move the ball forward carefully.
CM: Sjoeke Nusken – 7/10 – A quiet night for Nusken, but not a negative performance. Celtic sat deep, so the midfielder didn’t have much defensive work to do in the central areas. Had some brilliant moments in possession.
CM: Oriane Jean-François – 7/10 – Some nervous moments in possession, but all went unpunished. He’s really starting to settle into the Blues’ midfield and will continue to improve when given more minutes.
CM: Weekly Captain – 9/10 – The young midfielder fully deserved her first Champions League goal after weeks of brilliant form. Chelsea’s future is bright and Kaptein has shown that he could be the future star with the highest ceiling. She brilliantly backed up her Man of the Match performance last week, proving to be a real creative asset for Chelsea.
OR: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd – 8/10 – He was a driving force on Chelsea’s right side, dropping back when necessary and causing Celtic real problems when it came to moving possession forward.
LW: Guro Riding – 7/10 – He was lethal on set pieces, however he was much calmer than usual in other areas. He didn’t make any mistakes and had some brilliant moments, but nothing extraordinary.
ST: Catarina Macario – 7/10 – Caused nightmares for the Celtic defense from the first minute, out-strengthening her markers and combining well with her teammates in midfield to advance the game. He would have received a higher rating if he had played the second half.
Substitutes
SUB: Mayra Ramírez (46′ by Macario) – 6/10 – A really strong presence as always, although he lacked his usual clinical edge in front of goal.
SUB: Erin Cuthbert (58′ para Rytting Kaneryd) – 7/10 – His ordinary composure helped Chelsea contain most of the possession in the second half.
SUB: Eve Perisset (69′ for Reiten) – 8/10 – There wasn’t much for Perisset to do as Celtic posed little threat, but the defender was composed on the ball when she had it. A fresh and collected penalty for Chelsea’s third.
SUB: Lola Brown (85′ for Lawrence) – N/A
SUB: Julia Bartel (85′ para Nusken) – N/A
Substitutes not used: Hannah Hampton, Maika Hamano, Katie Cox, Nathalie Bjorn, Sandy Baltimore
Manager
Sonia Bompastor – 9/10 – Bopastor can do no wrong in west London at the moment, extending his winning streak to as many games unbeaten since arriving at Chelsea. He learned from last week’s performance and selected the right amount of experience and rotation to get the most out of his team. The new coach made the most of young players like Kaptein, while also prolonging the prime periods of experienced talents like Bronze.
