Chelsea registered a convincing 3-0 win over Celtic to seal early qualification to the knockout rounds of the Women’s Champions League and guarantee the Hoops’ exit from the competition.
The hosts got off to a dream start when Lucy Bronze hammered home on the volley inside 65 seconds, before Guro Reiten teased a cross for Wieke Kaptein to head her first European goal.
The game was at risk of running away from Celtic before reaching halfway, but the Scottish side did well to regain composure and resist any further Chelsea advances.
Powerhouse Mayra Ramirez was introduced at the break and swiftly made her presence felt, asking further questions of Celtic’s resolve, before Bronze won a stoppage-time penalty to seal the deal – despatched expertly by substitute Eve Perisset.
And, to cap a satisfactory night’s work, there was still time for 17-year-old Lola Brown to make her senior debut.
The win, a perfect rehearsal for Sunday’s WSL meeting with Manchester United, takes Sonia Bompastor’s immaculate record to 11 wins from 11. Chelsea will have to wait until February to learn their quarter-final opponents but are assured to progress from Group B alongside Real Madrid with two games to spare.
Bompastor: Great we could rotate squad ahead of Man Utd game
Chelsea Women head coach Sonia Bompastor speaking at her post-match press conference:
“[I’m] really happy. I told the players before the game tonight that it was an opportunity for us to qualify for the quarter-finals, and we did that.
“We also remain top of the table, which is also something we want to make sure we achieve.
“It’s great news that we were able to rotate the squad and give opportunities to some players to play a Champions League game again. We could rest some players thinking about the Manchester United game [on Sunday].
“As a club, it’s always important to make sure after four games you have this opportunity to qualify. That’s perfect.
“Even if you saw last week and tonight, not everything was perfect in the performance, but in the result, we are in a good place. It’s good because it brings a lot of confidence and it’s important for us to continue our run. So, lots of positives.”
Sadiku: I’m excited for what we have in front of us
Celtic Women manager Elena Sadiku said at her post-match press conference:
“It says a lot about the team I have. We have quality players and the players are learning that as a team we can compete with Chelsea and Real Madrid.
“I have seen them hurt other teams more than they have hurt us. You can see how good they have been against top players. There are star players in every position for them.
“We are learning and growing. We are growing in confidence. There are many things we can also improve. This experience is going to be a great one for us in the future.
“When we sit down and go through what we’ve achieved and done, I feel proud – but also have the hunger to win the league again, be more successful and play in the Champions League again.
“I’m excited for what we have in front of us. This is the start of something new. We want Celtic to be a team people know about in women’s football.”
What’s next?
Chelsea now face a quick turnaround before they are back in action in the WSL, as they host Manchester United at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Bompastor’s side will be aiming to make it eight wins from eight to extend their two-point gap on Manchester City in second.
