Chelsea 3-0 Celtic: Blues cruise into Girls’s Champions League knockout stage – as Sonia Bompastor continues excellent begin with eleventh straight win

Chelsea eased their manner into the Girls’s Champions League knockout levels with two video games to spare after dispatching Celtic at Stamford Bridge.

Lucy Bronze opened the scoring within the second minute with an exquisite volley, and additional targets from 19-year-old Wieke Kaptein and Eve Perisset ensured the west London group headed house with three factors and a clear sheet.

This was new Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor’s eleventh consecutive win in all competitions since she took over from Emma Hayes in the beginning of the season.

Praising her facet’s efficiency, Bompastor stated: ‘I’m actually comfortable. I informed the gamers earlier than the sport that tonight was a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals, which we made.

‘As a membership it’s all the time essential to be sure that after 4 video games you’ve got this chance to qualify. 

‘I feel that’s excellent although as you noticed final week and even tonight that every little thing was not excellent, however when it comes to a outcome we’re in an excellent place.

‘That’s good as a result of it brings quite a lot of confidence and it’s essential for us to proceed our run. We work exhausting and ensure issues grow to be straightforward, even when it’s not all the time straightforward.’ 

To this point this season it has been Celtic who’ve offered the Blues with maybe considered one of their hardest moments. 

It was within the reverse fixture of tonight’s sport the place the Glasgow facet put Chelsea behind for the primary time this season, earlier than targets from Maika Hamano and Ashley Lawrence ensured the harm was undone earlier than the ultimate whistle.

This sport was removed from that – albeit fleeting – battle. Chelsea dominated possession and clocked up a complete of 25 photographs to Celtic’s three.

After Bronze’s second minute aim discovered the again of Kelsey Daugherty’s internet, the indicators of a Celtic capitulation began to point out.

And whereas Chelsea did double their lead by Wieke Kaptein simply over 20 minutes later, a capitulation wasn’t what adopted.

And this was a lot to the credit score of a valiant Celtic defence who fought on till the final second earlier than an unlucky hand ball by Shannon McGregor within the penalty space meant Eve Perisset was given a spot-kick on the demise, which she coolly transformed.

Only a fast phrase on that Lucy Bronze aim – it was actually one thing to behold. Chelsea gained a nook within the opening seconds and it was taken brief to Guro Reiten, whose swinging cross was cleanly met by the laces of the Lioness star simply contained in the field. Whereas Celtic goalkeeper Daughtery was in a position to get a hand to it, the ball carried an excessive amount of punch and Chelsea had their lead.

Bompastor made six modifications to the facet which swept apart Manchester Metropolis on the weekend, with Catarina Macario coming in for Mayra Ramirez and Zecira Musovic beginning between the sticks rather than Hannah Hampton.

The Blues have been in imperious type for the reason that finish of the Hayes’ tenure – they haven’t misplaced since Might 1, with their 14-game successful streak in all competitions unmatched since Arsenal in 2018.

And with the video games coming thick and quick at this stage of the season, Bompastor will admire her seemingly limitless squad of superstars.