Chelsea celebrated a 3-2 win at Real Madrid in their opening match of the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League.
The Blues may have secured a win, but they looked shaky in their first group stage game under the lights.
Although the rain made playing conditions difficult, Sonia Bompastor’s team managed to get the job done, with goals from Sjoeke Nusken, Guro Reiten and Mayra RamÃrez.
They will now look to the next game in the Netherlands against FC Twente later this month.
How the game developed
Chelsea took the lead almost immediately after Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s cross was headed into the back of the net by Sjoeke Nusken, in what looked like a possible deflection off Real Madrid’s Sheila Garcia.
Despite the goal, the first half did not gain momentum. Rytting Kaneryd and Sandy Baltimore were the most promising, working well in tandem with Ramirez. Although the Blues kept possession, their performance lacked excitement, which may have been the nerves of the first game.
However, the Blues were awarded a penalty towards the end of the first half, in an aggressive decision contested by Real Madrid. Reiten comfortably placed the ball into the left corner, putting Chelsea 2-0 up.
But it wasn’t long before Real Madrid took advantage of some sloppy Chelsea defending, which saw Alba Redondo send the ball through the legs of Zecira Musovic, putting Real Madrid on the scoresheet for the first time.
The Blues were given some much-needed breathing space just eight minutes into the second half after Ramirez sent the ball into the top-right corner with a header, giving Chelsea a 3-1 lead.
But that didn’t last long. With less than ten minutes to go, things became tense when Real Madrid substitute Linda Caciedo smashed the ball past Musovic, and saw the Spanish side attempt a last-minute comeback with 3-2
Real Madrid dominated the rest of the 90 minutes, exposing the gaps in Chelsea’s performance. Despite plenty of goals, Bompator will likely walk away from the game with areas for improvement for his team, which may be related to pre-match nerves.
GK: Zecira Musovic – 6/10 – He didn’t have much to do but finished with the ball going through his legs as Real Madrid conceded.
RB: Lucy Bronze – 8/10 – Again, he didn’t have much to do, but he remained calm and collected when needed.
CB: Nathalie Bjorn – 7/10 – He successfully held the bottom line.
CB: Millie Bright – 7/10 – Made some lovely passes through the middle that helped create space, but lacked control at times.
LB: Sandy Baltimore – 8/10 – A brave approach who is not in his usual position, making great attacking runs and defending effectively.
CM: Lauren James – 7/10 – Struggled to keep possession but looked threatening when on the ball.
CM: Sjoeke Nusken – 7/10 – He did a reliable job holding the midfield while scoring a goal.
CM: Weekly Captain – 8/10 – Have a good turn, effectively partnering with Ramirez and Rytting Kaneryd.
RW: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd – 9/10 – An exceptional performance, not only getting on the scoreboard but also working the entire length of the pitch.
ST: Mayra RamÃrez – 8/10 – A stellar return from the striker, who showed why he should be in the starting XI.
LW: Guro Riding – 7/10 – He worked well next to Sandy Baltimore when he came up the left side.
Substitutes
SUB: Ashley Lawrence (67′ for Baltimore) – 7/10
SUB: Aggie Beever-Jones (67′ by Ramirez) – 8/10
SUB: Micah Hamano (67′ for Captain) -7/10
SUB: Oriana Jean-Francois (75′ for Rytting Kaneryd) -7/10
SUB: Maelys Mpome (88′ for Lauren James) -N/A
Subs not used: Eve Perisset, Julia Bartel.
manager
Sonia Bompastor- 7/10 – Chelsea could have done the job but looked awkward and uncomfortable at points.
