BY MAX HALL
Triumphant Chelsea Women boss Sonia Bompastor hailed what she described as “almost a perfect scenario” after her all-conquering side completed an impressive domestic treble with victory in Sunday’s FA Cup final at Wembley.
France international Sandy Baltimore scored twice either side of supplying the free-kick for Catarina Macario to head home in a 3-0 win over holders Manchester United, to the delight of her compatriot and manager.
Bompastor told Sky Sports: “We won, we were playing in Wembley, the stadium was almost sold out and we had a strong performance, a strong result against a strong opponent. That’s almost the ideal way to end the season.”
The former Lyon player and coach, who secured a league and Champions League double in her first full campaign at the head of the French club, three seasons ago, has overseen an unbeaten 22-game march to the league title as well as winning the League Cup in her first year at Kingsmeadow.
A painful 8-2 aggregate defeat to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the European showpiece last month is the only blemish on an otherwise perfect debut season.
Victory on Sunday did not come without the odd hiccup, however, according to Bompastor.
“The first 10 minutes we struggled a little bit, probably also because when you play these types of games – a final, sold-out stadium and the atmosphere,” said the manager. “Even though I have a lot of experience in my squad, sometimes you stress a little bit.
“It is okay to have the pressure but sometimes, when it’s too high, you don’t start the way we wanted to start. But after that we were confident enough to turn things around and after the first 10 minutes we were a better team. We were stronger, we deserved to win, and we were in control of the game for almost the rest of the game.”
Looking back over the treble-winning campaign, the French legend said: “It means a lot. I always say I want to make sure in every club I am manager that we have good values, the right values, and I want my players to really enjoy it. We worked hard all through the season. It was not easy and to achieve that, it will be part of history.
“The feelings are great. Sometimes it is difficult to describe them with words but yes, it feels really great. Again, this season has been tough.
“When you are able to achieve a treble and, domestically, to be as dominant as we have been, you really need to enjoy that. Again, all the credit to my players, because again today they performed really well. We had a strong performance, we showed our mentality and our values in this game.”
PICTURE: ALAMY
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