Chelsea became the second English club to advance to the Champions League knockout stage, joining Arsenal in securing a quarter-final place. A comfortable 4-0 victory over Vllaznia in Albania saw Emma Hayes’ side qualify with a game to spare, putting the demons of last season to bed. First-half goals from Sophie Ingle and Fran Kirby set the tone before a late header from Katerina Svitkova and Maren Mjelde’s injury-time penalty rounded off the scoring.
Asked if she was relieved at her team’s progression, Hayes said: “I wouldn’t say ‘relief’ is the right word. This team does so well to learn in its hardest moments. We understand what the group stage is in this competition, and I think we’ve navigated it really well. Our objective now is to finish top of the group.”
