FC Twente Women 1-1 Chelsea Women: Sandy Baltimore’s penalty saves Sonia Bompastor’s team in Women’s Champions League opener | Football news
Chelsea failed to capitalize on their dominance in their opening Women’s Champions League match as they were held to a 1-1 draw against Twente.
Sonia Bompastor made seven changes from the side that drew against Manchester United last Friday and despite numerous chances in Enschede, her side were forced to settle for a point.
Even that looked under threat when the home side took the lead against the run of play just after the hour mark, Danique van Ginkel sending a magnificent finish into the top corner, before Sandy Baltimore’s penalty saved the Blues.
Chelsea should have fallen behind after 11 minutes to a rare Twente opener, Leonie Vliek playing a smart one-two with Jill Roord to make room to shoot but inexplicably choosing to pass, allowing Ellie Carpenter to recover and clear.
Sjoeke Nusken then pulled back a few centimeters from the post following a cut from Maika Hamano before Oriane Jean-François hit Hamano who blazed from a good position on the edge of the penalty area.
Twente goalkeeper Diede Lemey made an excellent save to deny Nusken’s volley after Guro Reiten’s cross was half-cleared. The hosts’ keeper added to her spectacle with a smart save to deny Reiten from close range before half-time.
Bompastor’s side thought they had taken the lead after the break when Alyssa Thompson broke up Nusken’s pass past Lemey, only for the offside flag to bring the visitors’ celebrations to an abrupt end.
It was a superb finish that gave Twente the lead, Van Ginkel collecting the ball and sending a superb strike curling around Mille Bright and into Livia Peng’s top corner.
Chelsea were saved 20 minutes from time when Reiten tripped inside the box, giving Baltimore the chance to equalize from the penalty spot, which they duly took, sliding the ball into the bottom corner.
Bompastor: Not a good result at all
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor: “It’s not a good result at all. We wanted to start the campaign with three points. Out of possession I’m quite happy – even though we conceded a goal. In possession, when you play that goal, you have to show more desire.
“We created a lot of chances and we couldn’t score more than one. We had several situations in the box and we made 18 crosses, only six times where we were first on the ball. That’s not enough when you’re playing a Champions League match.
“I told my players after the match that a bad result is difficult at the moment, but we have to stay together and learn from it. That’s the only thing we can do, stay together and find solutions.
“We want to be an aggressive team, we want to play a high block. I don’t think Twente created many things, but once is enough for them to score. We took risks in our game but I think it’s the right thing to do. We should be dominant more than what we showed.”
