Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor was “not really happy” with the team’s performance following the 2-1 Champions League victory over Celtic at Parkhead.
A much-changed Blues side came from behind, with Murphy Agnew’s 22nd-minute opener for the hosts – group stage debutants this term – being swiftly followed by goals from Maika Hamano and Ashley Lawrence.
After Bompastor made three substitutions at the interval, the Women’s Super League champions then had numerous chances in the second half but were unable to make the most of any of them, with Celtic goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty pulling off some good saves.
The Frenchwoman, whose team were reduced to 10 players in stoppage with Aggie Beever-Jones being sent off, said in her post-match press conference: “I knew it would be a tough game for us, especially because of the Celtic mentality.
“They showed a lot of heart and they played with a lot of energy. We were expecting that they were going to be really motivated.
“Also, as a manager, I decided to rotate my squad, so sometimes it can happen that the players don’t get the same chemistry together. But I wanted to have a better impression from my team. I’m really happy with the three points and the victory, but not really happy with the performance. We were not efficient enough tonight.
“Every game is always an opportunity to learn. Tonight I learned a lot and I will share that with my players as a team, but also as individuals.
“There are some positives. With our squad, we are still able to rotate players and rest some. We have the three points and the victory, so we stay in the good dynamic for that, but in terms of the performance, we needed to do a better job in different aspects.”
Chelsea on Saturday has a Stamford Bridge clash against WSL leaders Manchester City, who they trail by a point with a game in hand.
Bompastor spoke about the need to “manage” players ahead of this match.
They had travelled to Scotland without Millie Bright, Kadeisha Buchanan, Sjoeke Nusken and Mayra Ramirez, and that contributed to a total of eight changes made to the starting line-up.
Bompastor added: “As a manager, I always have different plans for the game and the three substitutions (bringing on Lucy Bronze, Guro Reiten and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd at half-time) were planned.
A performance to be so proud of 💚#CelticChelsea | #UWCL | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/GbpdzZrbYV
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) November 13, 2024
“That’s the positive. We are just now moving on and going into the Manchester City game exactly with the plans we wanted to have.”
The narrow victory made it three wins from as many games for Chelsea in Group B, and extended their winning start to the season to nine matches in all competitions.
There are three points clear in the pool of second-place Real Madrid, while Elena Sadiku’s Celtic stay at the bottom, yet to get a point on the board, with three behind Twente.
Sadiku took encouragement from the Ghirls’ display that featured their first ever goal in the competition proper.
She told Celtic TV: “I’m actually gutted we don’t get more from the game, that’s how I feel right now, because they deserve more.
“What an effort, what a performance, and this is what everything is about when it comes to playing for Celtic. I want to put Celtic on the map, and I think we certainly did tonight.”
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