‘Best display of season’ but Chelsea rue missed opportunity
By
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Stamford Bridge
Having suffered plenty of past heartache at Barcelona’s expense, Chelsea may have ordinarily celebrated a 1-1 draw with them in the Women’s Champions League. But this was a missed opportunity.
Chelsea were the better side on the night, dominating much of the first half and creating numerous chances. They led for eight minutes after Ellie Carpenter’s sweet finish, only to concede when they failed to clear a corner and Ewa Pajor pounced on the loose ball to level.
Carpenter should have won it late on but dragged a close-range chance wide with only the goalkeeper to beat, and substitute Catarina Macario had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside. When the final whistle blew, Chelsea dropped to sixth in the group table, two points behind Barcelona in first.
It was a big improvement on last season’s 8-2 aggregate semi-final loss to Barcelona, but Chelsea’s lack of ruthlessness proved costly.
“I think it is frustrating not to have won the game, especially when you look at the statistics and the chances we had,” manager Sonia Bompastor said. “We had opportunities to win so I’m frustrated for that reason, but overall there were also a lot of positives to take. We know in the Champions League and in the important games we need to be clinical. We have spoken about that and my players are trying so hard. I’m really pleased with the performance. Everyone worked hard and I think when we are playing at this level, we can put in performances like this one.”
Best performance in ‘chess match’
Players showed visible disappointment at full-time, aware this was perhaps the best chance to beat Barcelona and climb the group table. Former Chelsea defender Anita Asante called it “an opportunity missed” and “the best performance I’ve seen from Chelsea all season,” praising how they executed the gameplan, frustrated Barcelona and created the best chances.
Barcelona manager Pere Romeu admitted Chelsea were “very different” to the side beaten comfortably last season. Bompastor said she had adjusted tactics after being “too ambitious” last term, making Chelsea less vulnerable out of possession.
Defender Lucy Bronze: “It was frustrating because we feel like we could have won the game on the night. We probably had the better chances. Coming into the game, no-one expected it to turn out like that – maybe apart from ourselves at Chelsea. I was saying to Naomi Girma after the game that we were playing chess.”
Girma was defensively solid
Naomi Girma, signed for a then-club-record fee reportedly around £900,000 from San Diego Wave in January, has struggled with injury and limited minutes since arriving. On Thursday she showcased why Chelsea invested in her, producing a commanding defensive display and reading Barcelona’s attacks well.
Girma made a key first-half block, sprinting across the six-yard area to deny Caroline Graham Hansen, a moment just before Carpenter’s opener. When Barcelona pushed in the second half, Girma often cut out their moves.
“Girma won’t get the plaudits like other Chelsea players will, but she was defensively solid,” said London City Lionesses forward Nikita Parris. Bompastor added: “Yeah, probably one of the best. She is a great player and we know her quality. It has been a shame for her not to be able to play more for us. Now she is back and we need to keep her on the pitch because you could see she is a great player who has a lot of experience and can bring lots of quality.”
Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women’s Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women’s Super League and beyond on the Women’s Football Weekly feed.
