Already-qualified Chelsea hosted FC Twente at Stamford Bridge tonight for their penultimate UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage tie, which culminated in a landslide victory for Sonia Bompastor’s side.
Goals from Catarina Macario, Mayra Ramírez, Oriane Jean-François, Erin Cuthbert, Sjoeke Nüsken, and Ève Perisset drove Chelsea to their 16th consecutive win across all competitions.
The result sees the Blues stay top of Group B, whilst the Dutch side were already unable to qualify for the next stage of the competition heading into this evening’s fixture.
The Lineup
CHE: Musoviç; Pérriset, Björn, Bright, Charles; Cuthbert, Jean-François; Hamano, Macario, Beever-Jones; Ramírez
FCT: Clark; Vliek, Knol, Carleer, Tuin, van Dooren, van Ginkel, Peddemors; Hulst, Ravensbergen, van Dijk
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The Action
It was mere moments before Macario opened the scoring for the Blues. She and Ramírez both broke through, and after an initial failed attempt at creating a chance, the former chipped FC Twente goalkeeper Olivia Clark to give Chelsea the lead.
The visiting side earned themselves a corner in the 24th minute, but Zećira Mušović was quick off her line to gather the good delivery. Not long after, FC Twente were awarded a much-contested penalty after Maika Hamano brought down Charlotte Hulst inside the area. Kayleigh van Dooren stepped up, and fired her shot-kick beyond the gloves of Mušović in the 29th minute.
Barely a minute more had passed before Oriane Jean-François restored the home side’s lead. The 23-year-old weaved through her defenders to fire toward goal, which was helped to reach its destination by a deflection
Ramírez was soon in possession with acres of space, and provided the third Chelsea goal of the night with a long-range lob over Clark, which powered over the goal line.
Erin Cuthbert then decided it was time to try her luck, as Clark came out to challenge the Scottish midfielder. The number eight’s shot prevailed, though, looking goal bound but ultimately put away by a deflection off of centre-back Anna Knol. Chelsea had their 4-1 lead within 35 minutes.
There was a short break in play as goalscorer Jean-François went down injured in the midfield, and had to be replaced by Wieke Kaptein, coming on against her former club.
After the break, Chelsea continued to dominate. Half-time substitute Sjoeke Nüsken saw Bompastor’s London outfit stay in charge as she got her head to Hamano’s promising ball into the box in the 47th minute.
A persistent Chelsea earned their sixth in the 85th minute through Perisset, firing her second Champions League goal for Chelsea far beyond Clark from close-range.
The whistle rang out on another brilliant night for Bompastor and her squad, as Chelsea dealt a blow to FC Twente’s faltering European campaign.
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Chelsea Player Ratings
*Zećira Mušović – 7/10 –*The goalkeeper had a relatively average game. She did mostly what was asked of her, not rattled by the early penalty. It wasn’t a busy night for Mušović, but she did what she needed to do and never lapsed in focus.
Eve Pérriset – 8/10 – Defensively not a particularly challenging game for the right-back, who instead devoted her minutes to finding her teammates in their attacking half. Her stellar efforts final came to real fruition late on, as she gave Chelsea goal number six.
*Nathalie Björn – 6/10 –*Substituted off at half-time. Had a quiet first half, did not have a huge impact but made no mistakes and did not have huge amounts of work to do.
*Millie Bright – 6/10 –*As usual, Bright leads her side from the back. Less eager to push up than on other occasions, the centre-back still helps the Blues to create and plays a vital role in fluidity prevailing even with changes.
*Niamh Charles – 7/10 –*There were not many defensive duties for Charles to carry out, but she certainly played an active role from the position of left-back in playing the ball progressively. An overall solid performance upon recent return from injury, came off after an hour.
*Erin Cuthbert – 9/10 –*An attacking force for Chelsea, Cuthbert was a problem for FC Twente tonight. Possibly an own goal in the end, her strike was bound for the back of the net and her overwhelming presence makes the already huge threat of this Chelsea side even more difficult to contain.
*Oriane Jean-François – 7/10 –*Forced off with an injury during the first half, but scored her first goal for the club and asserted herself really well during the time she was on the field. Shows huge promise going forward, and commits to playing in cohesion with her teammates.
*Maika Hamano – 7/10 –*Despite giving away a (albeit soft) penalty, Hamano maintained composure and always makes up an important part of Chelsea’s forward-thinking midfield. Hamano’s delivery in the buildup to Nüsken’s goal showcased her quality technical attributes, and her vision, being exactly why she is a quality player even on what was not her best day.
Catarina Macario – 9/10 – Combined excellently with Ramírez to provide the first goal of the occasion, and then consistently looked threatening and creative for the Blues at the top. Came off after the hour mark.
*Aggie Beever-Jones – 7/10 –*The attacker’s spatial awareness was her biggest strength tonight. She looked threatening in the early stages of the game, but did not quite manage to capitalise on some good moments throughout.
Mayra Ramírez – 8/10 – Works brilliantly alongside Macario. An exceptional striker, Ramírez plays for the badge regardless of what is or isn’t at stake. Substituted off at half-time.
Substitutes
Wieke Kaptein – 7/10 – Came on towards the end of the first half in place of Jean-François. Held her own against her former team, always looking efficient around the box.
Guro Reiten – 7/10 – Came on at half-time. Did not have an especially remarkable game, but always slots into Chelsea’s setup nicely.
Sjoeke Nüsken – 8/10 – Came on at half-time and made an immediate impact, scoring Chelsea’s fifth goal of the evening with ease through a header. The assist from Hamano was excellent, but Nüsken’s positioning and delivery created the finished product. Playing as a centre-back, her adaptability shone through once more.
Lola Brown – 6/10 – Came on after an hour. Clearly a youngster hungry to make the most of her chances on the big stage, Brown is proactive and will grow into a more proficient and clinical player in the final third with time.
Ashley Lawrence – 7/10 – Came on after an hour. Gave a very strong performance, never doubting her role both defensively and offensively, and always looking to make an impact.
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The Halfway Line Player of the Match: Erin Cuthbert
A strong performance all-round for Chelsea once again, there was more than one star of the show tonight. However, Cuthbert may have ‘only’ gotten on the scoresheet once, but she orchestrated the midfield for the entirety of this game. Not only does the Scot have an impeccable attacking prowess, she also wins and keeps possession under pressure from quick opponents, and is a true leader among her teammates.