Two young forwards, Aggie Beever-Jones and Maika Hamano, demonstrated Chelsea’s promising future with their goals as the team, under Sonia Bompastor, secured a 3-1 victory against FC Twente. They are Keeping up their streak of victories as the season begins.
Chelsea Take Charge of Group B
The Blues’ victory places them at the top of Group B in the Champions League, with a three-point lead over their rivals Twente and second-placed Real Madrid, while Celtic occupies the bottom spot in their first European campaign.
Defensive Concerns Linger Despite Winning Streak
In last week’s 3-2 victory over Real Madrid, Chelsea’s defensive weaknesses may raise some worries, but as long as they continue to secure victories, they will have the opportunity to address those issues.
“Indeed,” Bompastor acknowledged when questioned about their concern. Given my background as a defender, I have a strong aversion to conceding goals. Therefore, I was displeased with our team conceding a goal tonight. We must improve in this area and dedicate efforts towards addressing this issue.
Squad Rotation Shows Chelsea Depth
Few managers can make eight changes to their starting XI and still expect the same fluidity between players, but Chelsea’s squad is exceptional in this regard. Emma Hayes has led them to perfect the ability to maintain their competitive edge even when the squad undergoes significant changes, and they uphold this legacy.
The team that played in the match was considered weaker on paper compared to the team that won against Arsenal. Lauren James was not in the team despite being listed on the team sheet, and several key players were on the bench. However, in Enschede, Chelsea dominated the game. In the first 10 minutes, they had 78% possession, and by half-time, it was still as high as 60%.
“In the last moment of the warm-up, she felt something in her foot,” Bompastor said of James’s absence. “We’ll need to assess her tomorrow in London and see how she feels.”
Beever-Jones Opens the Scoring
It took Chelsea 7 minutes to score against a team that had previously won 2-0 against Celtic in their first group game. The opposing team had rested some of their best players during a 1-1 draw with Excelsior over the weekend in order to be fresh for Chelsea’s visit. Beever-Jones’s rising strike, which took a small deflection, flew past goalkeeper Olivia Clark.
It was well-deserved. The 21-year-old showcased the breadth of her skillset with a long-range effort in front of Sarina Wiegman. Wiegman has named the forward in her squad for England’s two October friendlies and was in the stands in her home nation.
Hamano Shines as Chelsea Attack Dominates
Beever-Jones and Hamano were central to Chelsea’s attacking strategy, with Beever-Jones executing an impressive overhead kick that sailed into the empty stand behind Twente’s goal, and Hamano receiving a pass from Ashley Lawrence, evading Danique van Ginkel, and shooting over the goal.
Hamano didn’t make any mistake for Chelsea’s second goal. After the Blues had gained possession inside the opposition half, the Japan international noticed Clark off her line, lofted the ball towards the goal, and it descended and in over the keeper.
Twente Efforts Fall Short
Twente’s manager, Joran Pot, stated before the match: “We are the less-favoured team, that’s a fact, but it doesn’t mean we can’t win.”
The home team lived up to the underdog label, but they did have opportunities.
In games under Bompastor, Chelsea has consistently allowed opposing teams to make a comeback, even when Chelsea has been dominant. This trend continued in the match in the Netherlands. Despite the home team’s lower technical skill, they missed several opportunities to score due to poor final passes, which allowed Chelsea to avoid any embarrassment comfortably.
Late Penalty and Consolation Goal
Twente’s brief period of pressure, which excited the crowd, abruptly ended when Chelsea countered, and Beever-Jones passed to substitute Ramírez. Lieske Carleer then fouled Ramírez in the box. Fellow substitute Reiten calmly converted the resulting penalty kick, further extending the visiting team’s lead.
The home team found some joy when Van Dijk received a ball over the top, outpaced Nathalie Björn, and then slotted the ball past Zecira Musovic. This sparked wild and loud celebrations from the home fans.
Another Victory, but Defensive Woes Persist
The Dutch side had some bright moments, but this match was never going to be a big test for Chelsea. It was another win, another opportunity to learn, and another chance to examine the defensive lapses that could be more costly later in the competition.
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