Chelsea women’s preseason under Sonia Bompastor has been a fairytale with a win after winning, some score lines more convincing than others. This is a good sign that all players perform at peak before the season begins.
Last Season’s Fear of Goal Scorers Is Gone
The fear of finding a consistent goal scorer while Sam Kerr was sidelined with her ACL injury has disappeared. In this game, six different players scored, including a defender. Chelsea have all goalscorers across the pitch.
This friendly against Feyenoord was the first victory under managership at home at Kingsmeadow, the pride and joy of this team and a place of rich winning history.
Concerns for Niamh Charles and Sophie Ingle Amid Perfect Performance
Though the performance was perfect, there are concerns for Niamh Charles and Sophie Ingles. The former played a crucial role in last season’s defence, helping Chelsea retain the WSL title, while the latter has been a trusted, experienced midfielder for Chelsea for years.
Within the first eight minutes of the game, the win was there for Chelsea to lose with a 2-goal advantage already achieved. With two goals finished from the centre of the box, a second goal in blue for Sandy Baltimore in back-to-back games. Baltimore showed clever movement to beat the offside trap as the Feyenoord defenders attempted to push out from deep inside the box, settling well into the English game.
Nusken put the ball back in low, and Sandy nudged it past the keeper as she rushed off the line. Mayra Ramirez scored another epic goal. Chelsea comfortably weathered Feyenoord’s attacks, with skipper Bright marshalling the back line excellently. At the other end, Lauren James and Charles down the left caused constant problems for Feyenoord, while Baltimore’s skill in the middle added to their difficulties.
Chelsea Goalkeeper Musovic Untroubled with Captain Bright Commanding the Back Line
Chelsea goalkeeper Musovic was not threatened, with captain Millie Bright commanding the back line. After limited game time last season due to a long-term knee injury, it is always lovely to see the trains back on the field.
The drama extended beyond the scoreline. The game became tougher for Feyenoord when Celainy Obispo received two quick bookings—first for a foul on Ramirez and then for dissent. However, a pre-existing agreement between the teams allowed Feyenoord to replace the defender, keeping 11 players on the pitch.
Though they were still lucky to have 11 players on the pitch, that did not help them prevent a looping finish by Nusken.
First Half
By the end of the first half, there were another two goals, one of which was a top bin from Sjoeke Nusken, the German who had a brilliant first season with the Blues last time around.
A moment of concern arose when Romee van de Lavoir spotted Musovic off her line and attempted a lob from halfway. However, the Blues keeper recovered in time to make the save. From then on, the game mostly flowed one way. Feyenoord cleared another effort off their line after James’ curling shot was deflected up and over the keeper.
Plus, a close-range finish from the newbie on the block, Wieke Kaptein.
Second Half
Given that it took mere minutes for Chelsea to start scoring in the first half, it was a shock that it took them 15 minutes to score in the second 45 minutes.
Millie Bright got across the front post well from a corner to glance a header across the goal, which bounced through the bodies and crept inside. If you ask me to score, it was just a classic defender and bright goal, making it five goals for the home team.
Then came the changes as a friendly; there are no limits to subs being made. Bompastor took the opportunity to use all her subs, bar Hannah Hampton, to give everyone a chance to prove themselves, get some good game time, and increase fitness and stamina after the summer break.
Maika HaMano, who scored that crucial goal against the Spurs last season, which kept Chelsea’s title hopes alive, set up Aggie Beever-Jones for her first touch of the game and scored from it. She was electric, scoring a 27-minute hat-trick. In her second first-team season, she has proven herself after joining halfway through last season as a starting player to replace Kerr. That is how Chelsea scored nine goals, 1 goal every ten minutes in one game this pre-season.
Easy Title Defence?
Many people thought this was the end with Emma gone and super Fran. The history and reason for their past success have left the nest of Chelsea, and with a new manager who has not played or managed in England, could have been concerned. But I was sure not. She is a manager who has threatened Barcelona. In the last two or so Champions League finals, she hates them as much as Chelsea fans do for getting in our way of the Alluded trophy. The women’s team has avoided the issues caused by Chelsea’s poor owners and has been allowed to make its own decisions, which is a positive outcome. If it’s not broken, why fix it?
The game saw three home debutants open the scoring, showing the depth and the summer signings’ good start.
What’s Next
Chelsea’s following action is the start of the Women’s Super League in two weeks, back here at Kingsmeadow, when we host Aston Villa at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 20.
The Teams
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): g; Bronze, Bright (c) (Mpome 74), Buchanan (Bjorn 63), Charles (Lawrence 45); Nusken, Kaptein (Ingle h-t) (Perisset 74); Rytting Kaneryd (Hamano 63), Baltimore (Bernabe 74), James (Reiten 63); Ramirez (Beever-Jones 63)
Unused sub: Hampton
Scorers: Baltimore 5, Ramirez 8, Nusken 32, Kaptein 45+3, Bright 62, Beever-Jones 75, 85, 90+2, Hamano 77
Feyenoord (4-4-2): Szymczak; Koga (Mulder 66), Verspaget, Obispo (Van Bentem 30), Brandau (Heij h-t); Van de Lavoir (Braun 66), Waldus (c) (Lont 66), Teulings (Baubadi 66), De Graaf (Oudejans 66); Conijnenberg (Balkhir 66), Van Kerkhoven (Koopmans h-t)
Unused sub: Weimer, Eijk
Booked: Obispo 28
Sent off: Obispo 29
