Chelsea may have secured their first win in the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League against Real Madrid but Sonia Bompastor said they must be “smarter” moving forward.
The Blues hosted the Spanish side under the lights at Stamford Bridge, in a game that might have seen a lot of goals but lacked true excitement.
Sjoeke Nusken, Guro Reiten and Mayra Ramirez all got their names on the scoresheet, with two coming in the first half and a third in the second. However, it was some sloppy defending from Chelsea that also resulted in two for Madrid from Alba Redondo and Linda Caicedo.
Speaking after the game, head coach Bompastor said she was “happy” with the result, but wishes that Chelsea had been able to “manage the game” more.
“It’s always important to start, especially at home with three points against Real Madrid who were the highest ranked in our group after us,” she explained. “I wish my team could have been able to manage the game more in terms of the result.
“And when I say manage, it’s not about slowing down the game, it’s more about being smarter. When you lead the game with two goals, I think it’s good to keep that result. We conceded two goals where maybe we should have done better on those two actions. But credit to Madrid, they were pushing and they were confident in the game and when trying to score.
“We should control the game more and I was nervous about Madrid getting back into it. This is something we need to work on, but I’m not too worried.”
Bompastor is the only woman to win the Champions League as a player and manager and there are a lot of people hoping she’s the one to finally lead Chelsea to success on a European stage.
“It felt really good,” said Bompastor, reflecting on her first Chelsea game in this competition. “This stadium has so much history and I want to be a part of that history. I’m trying to bring my new vision. It’s always good to build up from that legacy [the club have] and having the opportunity to win the first Champions League game with the team, as Chelsea manager is always important.”
Bompastor opted for a 4-3-3 formation against Madrid, bringing in Wieke Kaptein and the aforementioned Ramirez. There was a last minute goalkeeper change due to Hannah Hampton being struck down with illness, in a move that saw her swapped out for Zecira Musovic.
Erin Cuthbert was missing from the squad after picking up a knock during a training session, alongside Catarina Macario who was also unwell.
However, new recruit Sandy Baltimore is already proving why she’s a vital addition to the squad, showing versatility in her ability to play in different positions. The French star prefers to play as a forward, but Bompastor opted to put her at left-back for this game and she very much impressed.
“I’ve known Sandy for a long time,” said the manager. “She’s a really good player who is really dynamic. I think she brings a lot of confidence to the team because when she has the ball, she’s able to be really good with it.
“She has a lot of qualities – she’s able to dribble one-on-one and has a good first rouch on the ball. Sometimes she gives the ball away, but she’s able to recover it. She has the right mentality and she’s someone who wants to play everyday. I think as a manager it’s really good to have a player like that.”
Chelsea are back in WSL action at the weekend for the short trip to Arsenal, before then travelling to the Netherlands for Champions League matchday two against FC Twente.
