Chelsea entertain with solid win over flashy Real

If Chelsea are on a “new journey” in the Women’s Champions League, it began in intermittent deluges of rain and in front of a sparse home crowd at Stamford Bridge.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

For Sonia Bompastor, bigger European nights lie ahead as the Blues began their latest bid for an elusive Champions League title with an entertaining 3-2 victory over Real Madrid that really deserved more of an atmosphere in southwest London.

After all, Bompastor had already faced the hostility of Stamford Bridge as an opposition manager, watching on as her Lyon side crumbled to defeat on penalties in front of the Shed End in the quarter-finals two seasons ago. She would have watched from a distance as Emma Hayes’s side pushed Barcelona in last season’s semi-final second leg, as the eventual champions required every ounce of their mentality, and a fair slice of fortune from a controversial refereeing decision, to get over the line.

Instead, Bompastor will have to wait to witness her own first big night in charge of Chelsea, as ticket sales were capped at 5,000, a decision made by the club to ensure the match was “financially sustainable”. The French coach may even feel she has yet to meet the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge, given the crowd were seated on the opposite side of the pitch to the dugouts, stretching along the lower tier of the West Stand.

If the name of the opposition, Real Madrid, suggested there should have been more of an atmosphere, Chelsea could point to the Champions League fixtures being released less than two weeks ago, given the club less time for marketing its biggest fixture of their group stage. Celtic and FC Twente will travel to Stamford Bridge, too, but lack the prestige of Real Madrid. There was also no alternative, as Kingsmeadow is no longer a Uefa accredited venue for the Women’s Champions League.