Chelsea commenced their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign in victorious fashion on Tuesday evening, as Sonia Bompastor’s Blues just got the edge over Real Madrid in a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge. Despite taking the early lead in West London, Chelsea’s performance did not mirror their usual energetic selves as sloppy defensive mistakes opened the door for Real Madrid to get back in the game.
Sonia Bompastor spoke to the media in her postmatch press conference, analysing the performance as ‘something we need to work on’ going forward.
Providing an update on Hannah Hampton, who was removed from the starting lineup just prior to kick-off, Bompastor clarified “Hannah just felt unwell just before [we went] out. She is now feeling better and recovered, but it was a situation that happened right before we went out and we had to manage that.”
Erin Cuthbert and Catarina Macario were also missing from the matchday squad to face Las Blancas, something Bompastor cleared up when asked in her postmatch press conference. She said, “Erin got knocked during a training session, and Catarina was unwell.”
Bompastor ‘happy with the result’ despite improvements that need to be made
Chelsea grabbed the early lead at Stamford Bridge, after an own-goal from Sheila García and a penalty strike from Guro Reiten gave the Blues a 2-0 advantage inside of 26 minutes. Bompastor expressed that she is “happy with the result” adding that “it is always important to start with three points.”
Bompastor elaborated, “I think if you reflect on the performance, I wish my team could have managed more of the game. When I say manage, it’s not about slowing down the game, but about being smarter. When you start the game with two goals and lead by two goals, I think it’s important to keep that result, especially because I thought we conceded two goals where we should have done better in those actions.”
“Credit to Madrid, they were confident and really trying to push the game when trying to score. They have a good team. I wish we could have controlled more of the game, but I think we were a bit nervous when Madrid were getting back. This is something we need to work on, but I’m not too worried about that.”
‘I just want to be a part of that history’ says Bompastor after her first game at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea were back under the lights of Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, as the Blues kicked-off their first game of the Bompastor era at the main stadium. Speaking on playing at The Bridge, Bompastor expressed “It felt really good.”
She continued, “I think this stadium has so much history, and I just want to be part of that history and try to bring my new vision. Having the opportunity to win the first Champions League game with the team as a Chelsea manager is always important, and I just enjoyed that.”
Speaking on how important it was for her side to scrape the three points despite what may have been a shaky performance, Bompastor said “I think sometimes you just expect Chelsea to win every single game, but I just need to realise it’s really good when we win and just need to enjoy.”
“As a Chelsea manager, when you work in an environment where there are a lot of ambitions, the most important thing is getting results. It takes time, and sometimes it’s a long process to make sure everyone is on the same page, especially in understanding the game model. When you look at it, I think in the squad, we have new people, new staff, and different players coming from all over the world. So, it’s just about trying to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
