Chelsea started their European campaign with a comfortable win over Paris FC. Alyssa Thompson scored her first goal in west London as Sonia Bompastor's side dominated the match. Sandy Baltimore opened the scoring from the penalty spot, with Joanna Ritting Kanerid and Erin Cuthbert also scoring.
Chelsea have endured a poor start to their Champions League campaign, with the only trophy slipping through their fingers. Draw 1:1 against Twente Last week in Enschede added a bit of tension to this clash at Stamford Bridge with tougher opposition ahead.
Chelsea had no reason not to be full of confidence heading into this meeting. They returned to winning ways against Tottenham at the weekend and remain unbeaten in all competitions. However, there is a trend towards missed opportunities that is causing some concern.
The lack of cohesion in attack was not addressed by Bompastor's changes in personnel and systems. There were only two changes over the weekend, with Baltimore returning from a hit and Sjoke Nysken replacing the absent Ellie Carpenter.
Paris suffered an equally unpleasant start to their league campaign, losing a 2-0 lead to newcomers Leuven. Sandrine Soubeyrand welcomed goalkeeper Mylène Chavas back from a concussion injury, while Maëlle Garbino and Anael Le Mougudec started.
It promised to be an intriguing matchup between two familiar managers. Bompastor and Soubeyrand played together for the French national team for over a decade and also met many times as coaches in the Premier League.
Chelsea dominated the game from the start, having more possession and creating more chances than their opponents. The need to score early was obvious and led to a series of missed opportunities where patience was required. Nysken and Cuthbert played from range, while Aggie Beaver-Jones missed two great chances.
However, the hosts' pressure eventually told when Nysken went down in the penalty area half an hour before the game. Le Mougudec's attack was initially missed by referee Michalina Diakov, but after a brief look at the VAR monitor she duly pointed to the spot. Baltimore gained momentum for the second week in a row.
Chelsea extended their lead just before half-time when Thompson, whose pace had been causing problems throughout the half, took the lead. A clever turn allowed her to find space to cross for Ritting Kanerid to head home. The winger looked slightly taken aback by the ball being in the goal and celebrated with an expression that suggested she wasn't particularly used to heading goals.
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News roundup: Barca crush Roma, Wolfsburg and Leuven win late
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Alexia Putellas [pictured] scored a penalty but missed another because Barcelona won 4-0 in Roma to maintain your fast start in the league phase. Having thrashed Bayern Munich 7-1 in the first leg, Barca broke through two minutes later in the Italian capital with Esme Brugts grabbing the ball from close range.
Barcelona won a penalty early in the second half, but Putellas sent Panenka over the crossbar. Just before the hour mark, Kika Nazareth volleyed into the far corner to double the visitors' lead, with Putellas saving her second penalty. The late appearance of Caroline Graham Hansen completed the debacle.
Twente were unable to follow up on last week's draw with Chelsea as they lost 2–1 away. Oh Leuven despite taking a first-half lead through Jamie Ravensbergen. The Dutch team held out until the 82nd minute before conceding a penalty, converted by Linde Wiefkind. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Sarah Pusztai struck Leuven in spectacular fashion, sending the ball into the top corner.
A lot has changed before OL Lyonne the team won a home victory over St. Pölten with a score of 3:0. Jules Brand opened the scoring with her first goal for the club and Ada Hegerberg headed the hosts' second just before half-time as the Austrian visitors paid for their missed chances. Young midfielder Lili Johannes completed the scoring shortly after the restart with a brilliant close-range strike from the halfway line.
Wolfsburg scored a late victory in Valerenga thanks to Janina Minga's penalty. The midfielder converted the penalty with the last kick of the game after a foul by Naina Inauen in the penalty area. Wolfsburg took the lead through Linet Berenstein in the 57th minute, but Sarah Horte headed home just three minutes later to equalize for the hosts in Oslo. Guardian of Sports
Chelsea kept their foot on the gas and extended their lead immediately after the break. A well-judged move allowed Keira Walsh to fire a low ball across the box for Thompson to head home. It was the first goal for the 20-year-old American in her new home, who arrived as a top player from the City of Angels this summer.
They added a fourth goal after a series of substitutions injected even more energy into the game. Sam Kerr thought she had scored her first Champions League goal since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but it was cleared by Cuthbert, who touched the line somewhat inadvertently.
As the game drew to a close, there was still time for Cobham Academy and England youth international Lexi Potter to make her debut. It was a much-needed comfortable win for Chelsea and an important three points on the board. They will face St. Pölten in Austria next November.
