Suzanne Wrack was at Stamford Bridge and has all the action boiled down for you in her report.
And that means it is time for me to bid you farewell. As always, thanks for your company and tuning in. Join us tomorrow for live updates as Arsenal take on Bayern Munich in their first match of the competition.
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Some post-match emails!
Redmond laments a familiar face:
Has former Chelsea player Leupolz touched the ball at all this game?
According to the stats, she had 52, but I agree with the sentiment that it was not her best game. Real Madrid’s midfield was completely overrun, which is worrying for Toril’s side given Chelsea’s midfield were not at their best either.
And Gordon analyses Group B:
Considering it was their first CL group stage game, Celtic were not too bad, but it must be said that they never looked like scoring in the game tonight. The Celtic keeper Daugherty made a tremendous save to keep the score down, but Twente’s Van Dooren added her second goal late on, thumping home a right wing cross. Chelsea will cruise into the quarter-finals but tonight they did not look like a team ready to go all the way to the final.
First matchday of this group seemed to go as expected. Twente seemed to have passed their first test with flying colours but they will have a lot to prove if they want to shake things up and maybe nick a spot in the next round.
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Twente cruised to a 2-0 victory against Celtic, which means they top Group B after matchday 1, with Chelsea in second on goal difference. Real Madrid take third and Celtic sit bottom.
Full-time: Chelsea 3-2 Real Madrid
And there goes the final whistle! Chelsea keep their composure to secure their first win in the group stages after Real Madrid attempted to mount a comeback in each half.
90+3 min: Everyone behind the ball for Chelsea as they try to get through these nervy minutes. Real Madrid have some good passes on the right flank but Carmona’s final ball to Caicedo is rushed and overhit, much to the delight of the Stamford Bridge crowd.
90 min: Another dangerous free-kick possibility for Real Madrid … the ball is laid off to Oihane who blazes the shot well wide from about 35 yards out. That chance probably could have been used more wisely. At least four minutes of added time.
88 min: Some late changes. For Real Madrid, Weir and García are replaced by Møller and Oihana while Chelsea’s James comes off for Mpomé.
85 min: Real Madrid win a free-kick but Lakrar’s shot after Weir’s cross in is straight at Musovic.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-2 Real Madrid (Caicedo 83)
Game on, perhaps? If Real Madrid were ever going to score, it was always going to be through Caicedo. Weir dictates the play and passes it to Navarro. The ball flashes across the face of goal and Bronze clears the ball of the line but only as far the Real Madrid No 18 who taps it in.
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80 min: Carmona slides in to intercept a Chelsea pass and lays it off to Caicedo. The teenager takes a dribble to cut inside and tries to bend one at the far post but it drifts wide.
77 min: Caicedo is in space on the left and threads a slightly overcooked pass to Carmona. The Real Madrid captain hangs her head in frustration. The visitors are inching closer to a their third defeat in three years against Chelsea in London.
74 min: Two changes for Real Madrid with Feller and Navarro coming on for Redondo and Del Castillo. Toril is taking a gamble here, taking off his two starting forwards in hopes that a shake up can make a difference.
A minute later, Chelsea make their own change with Jean-François replacing Rytting Kaneryd.
72 min: From a Chelsea corner Real Madrid counter with Caicedo turning on the jets but her shot is blocked by Lawrence. The visitors win a corner from that which Weir takes, Rodondo flicks it on at the near post but there is no orange shirt to nod it home.
69 min: Caicedo tries to work her magic after a free-kick but gets crowded out quickly by several blue shirts.
67 min: A triple change for Chelsea. Kaptein, Baltimore and Ramírez come off for Hamano, Lawrence and Beever-Jones.
64 min: Close! James crosses it again to Ramírez and although this seems to be an easier chance then her goal, she can’t hit the target. Chelsea then get another chance once James’s low cross flashes across the face of goal but no blue shirt was there to poke it home.
62 min: Don’t think this was related to the yellow moments ago but Teresa comes off for Caicedo. Let’s see if the Colombian 19-year-old can inspire a spark for the visitors.
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61 min: Teresa pulls James from behind, gets called for the foul and then says something to the referee which leads her to be booked.
58 min: This match has gone from slow to slower. Real Madrid are completely out of ideas and Chelsea are happy to keep it as is.
54 min: Chelsea win a corner and before they take it the camera pans towards Todd Boehly in the stands. Bright takes the set-piece but it is straight into the hands of Misa.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-1 Real Madrid (Ramírez 53)
A fantastic high cross from James on the right flank finds the Colombian striker makes her looping header look so easy. Chelsea restore their two-goal lead. Misa probably could and should do better to save that but she reacts too slowly.
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51 min: Uefa have just confirmed that the opening goal has been credited to Nüsken and it won’t go down as an own goal.
48 min: Better from Real Madrid already in this half given that they have not conceded in the opening moments. Chelsea keep possession for almost the whole two minutes since the whistle with Real Madrid having 10 players behind the ball. But a misplaced pass leads them to break. Redondo goes forward but Bronze wins the ball after a shove. The Spaniard wants a free-kick but she does not get it.
46 min: We are back underway at Stamford Bridge! Can Chelsea hold on to this narrow lead?
Celtic are trailing 0-1 against Twente after a goal from Kayleigh van Dooren put the Dutch champions ahead, another game Gordon has been keeping an eye on.
😍 Kayleigh van Dooren with a lovely chip to give FC Twente the lead against Celtic!
— DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) October 8, 2024
Watch live for free on DAZN ▶️ https://t.co/dIfKpURfZv#UWCL #UWCLonDAZN pic.twitter.com/OPQQ3cUWdO
At Hamilton, Celtic have almost matched Twente, but a simple long ball down the middle undid the home defence and Van Dooren lobbed the keeper. But hope yet for the Ghirls.
Another email came in earlier! This one from Gordon in Aberdeen:
I’ve been watching the Lyon v Galatasaray game, very one-sided, the French team had all the play, two neat headed goals by Diani. Looking forward to a more evenly contested game at Stamford Bridge. I must admit that I have not been watching any WSL games this season so far, so new-look Chelsea will be a surprise for me. I must also confess that I was never an admirer of Emma Hayes’ Chelsea, but I am prepared to start anew with them under Sonia Bompastor. Some interesting aspects, too, to the Real Madrid lineup, great to see Caroline Weir back this season after a long injury layoff, and I’ve always been impressed by Filippa Angeldal, surprisingly underused at Man City despite being a regular starter for Sweden. As with Barcelona, some of the invincible lustre of the Spanish national players in the Real Madrid team has gone, with their Olympic football flop, but Carmona and co. are still likely to cause Chelsea some problems.
Bompastor has spoken about how she is still laying down her philosophy and because of injuries and new signings, it will take some time to fully implement exactly what she wants. I think, after that first half, she will want more of James on the ball and just better control in midfield.
As for Real Madrid, everything comes through their flanks, which is fine but kind of predictable. It works (for the most part) in the league, but if Carmona, García and Del Castillo are marked out of the game or are struggling, the side don’t seem to have a Plan B.
Half-time: Chelsea 2-1 Real Madrid
Chelsea took an early lead after a fumbling own goal and they doubled their lead with a penalty but Real Madrid pulled one back late on.
🔵 Kaneryd gets the ball, Kaneryd crosses, Kaneryd... scores? Well, no, but kinda' 😜
— DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) October 8, 2024
Watch live for free on DAZN ▶️ https://t.co/dIfKpURfZv#UWCL #UWCLonDAZN pic.twitter.com/D5P6S0L03X
🚨 Alba Redondo's first goal in the Real Madrid jersey sparks hope for them in London!
— DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) October 8, 2024
Watch live for free on DAZN ▶️ https://t.co/dIfKpURfZv#UWCL #UWCLonDAZN pic.twitter.com/YTdnepb5mO
Neither side have played at their best but the chances have started to flow. All to play for in the second half.
43 min: Real Madrid are trying to capitalise on being on top. García pings a good pass to Del Castillo but Baltimore is there to clean up. The fourth official puts the sign up to signal that we only get one minute of added time.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Real Madrid (Redondo 39)
And the visitors pull one back! Carmona makes her classic run on the left and crosses it in. García’s chance is blocked but it falls to Redondo who takes one touch to control it before her low shot goes through the legs of Musovic and into the back of the net.
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36 min: James was playing on the wing earlier in the match but she has now switched to dropping a bit deeper in midfield to play that free role. With their two goal lead Chelsea are happy to keep the ball and wait for the half-time whistle.
31 min: Chance for Real Madrid! The ball falls kindly to Redondo in the box and she takes a first time shot. Musovic gets down and low to make the save and scurries to get the rebound after the ball slips away. Easily the visitors’ best chance so far.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Real Madrid (Reiten 28)
From the corner, the Blues win a penalty after Lakrar fouls Bronze with a high kick in the box. The referee initially does not give it but she then points to the spot. Definitely seemed accidental as Lakrar was only trying to clear the ball and she also got hurt in the process but it is still a foul. Reiten steps up and even though Misa guesses the right way, the low shot is too powerful. The hosts have a cushion now.
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25 min: Del Castillo switches off for a moment and Baltimore makes a fantastic run forward. Her low cross can’t find a blue shirt but Real Madrid can’t clear their lines. The Chelsea faithful yell to shoot but they settle for a corner.
22 min: Del Castillo gets in behind but Musovic is quick to react and manages to deter the Spaniard. Flag stayed down even though the Real Madrid winger might have just been off but a warning sign for Chelsea.
19 min: Lovely footwork from Weir! She gets past a few Chelsea players by dropping her shoulder, dancing around with her back to goal and avoiding the tackles but her long range shot is straight at Musovic in the end.
15 min: From a Real Madrid corner, Méndez wins the header but it loops over the bar. An aside: it is absolutely pouring rain in west London. The players are already drenched.
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13 min: Just an update on Chelsea’s goalkeeper situation. With Musovic replacing Hampton in the starting XI, the home side have no keeper on the bench.
12 min: Chelsea attempt a quick 1-2 but Baltimore can’t get their in time and fouls Del Castillo. She gets a talking to from the referee but the Real Madrid player should be fine to continue.
10 min: Carmona feeds Weir with a good ball but the Real Madrid captain mistimes her run and the flag goes up for offside.
7 min: Real Madrid look a bit rattled, and rightly so. Their first attack comes from Del Castillo and she thinks she is away but Bright times her tackle perfect. The resulting corner leads to a shot wide at the near post but Musovic likely had it covered had it been on target.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Real Madrid (Nüsken 3)
What just happened?! Chelsea win a corner after the ball comes off Carmona and while their set-piece set up does not come to fruition. But Rytting Kaneryd puts in the work to win the ball back and exploits the acres of space she has on the right. She crosses it in for Nüsken. She heads it down and in the scramble, García gets the last touch before the ball dribbles into the net. Initially credited as an own goal but then changed in favour of Nüsken.
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Kick-off: Chelsea 0-0 Real Madrid
Here we go! The players take a knee before the referee blows the whistle! Chelsea in their classic all blue and Real Madrid in orange.
There has been a late change for Chelsea in the starting XI, which I assume was the reason for the delay. Musovic comes in to replace Hampton who was initially named to start.
A change to the XI means that Musovic now starts in goal. 🔄#UWCL | #CFCW https://t.co/lyqbVvxwkb
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) October 8, 2024
It is 8pm and the game should have been underway by now but Uefa have confirmed that their was a short delay for an unnamed reason … The teams are finally making their way out of the tunnel now and here comes the Champions League anthem.
The teams are in the tunnel at a very rainy Stamford Bridge and a mini-light show has begun to ramp up the atmosphere.
Lyon and Roma seal all the points in the Group Stage openers 😎#UWCL pic.twitter.com/7cjAaiFkvb
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) October 8, 2024
A few of the stats before kick-off:
Chelsea are unbeaten in their previous nine group matches at home (W6 D3) and have conceded just two goals in their last eight home group games.
Real Madrid have lost their last five group matches. They have not made is past the group stage since 2021-22.
Leupolz returns to Stamford Bridge having left for Madrid in the summer after 83 appearances for the Blues.
Rytting Kaneryd keeps her record of appearing on all 19 matchdays since the group stage was introduced in 2021-22 (her six in that first season coming for Häcken).
Real Madrid are on a run of 10 straight away wins and are unbeaten on the road in 12 matches since a 2-1 Copa de la Reina quarter-final loss at Atlético in February.
Chelsea and Real Madrid are the only two clubs to have been in the same group in three seasons of this competition.
The other two teams in Group B – Celtic and Twente – face off tonight. Celtic’s Elena Sadiku, 30, will break the record set by Julian Nagelsmann as the youngest coach in the male or female version of the Champions League. She chats to Ewan Murray about the feat, the prospect of almost having to amputate her leg and success.
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Our first mail of the night! Kirk writes from Pennsylvania:
No Cuthbert, no Charles. Baltimore as left-back. An interesting lineup for Chelsea.
Indeed! Bompastor has made some big calls. Baltimore, Bronze and Kaptein all make their Europe debuts for Chelsea. Alberto Toril has made six changes to his side that faced Valencia on Friday and I wonder if Bompastor rightly predicted that, and adjusted accordingly.
Latest from the earlier kick-offs:
Lyon 2-0 Galatasaray
Roma 1-0 VfL Wolfsburg
Follow along to all of tonight’s matches with our live scoreboard.
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Chelsea are one of the favourites to win their group – and the whole competition – but it is not going to be easy. The group stages can always offer twists and surprises but their are a select few who are almost shoo-ins for the knockouts.
Who are they, you may ask? Tom Garry has you covered with his group-by-group breakdown and predictions.
According to Chelsea’s Lucy Bronze, the club have everything at their disposal to finally win the Champions League. And she should know, she has already won five.
This club has more things at their disposal than a lot of the teams I’ve played for. I always get asked: ‘How does it compare to Lyon and Barcelona?’ I loved my time at both those clubs, and the players and talent at those clubs was unbelievable, but they didn’t necessarily have all those resources in place to back the team, whereas Chelsea have all the resources and the talent there.
Read more from Suzanne Wrack’s preview below.
Team news
Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Hampton; Bronze, Bright, Björn, Baltimore; Kaptein, Nüsken; Rytting Kaneryd; James, Ramírez, Reiten.
Subs: Musovic, Lawrence, Périsset, Mpomé, Bartel, Jean François, Hamano, Beever-Jones.
Our first Champions League XI of the season. 📝#UWCL | #CFCW pic.twitter.com/JehZYTVslA
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) October 8, 2024
Real Madrid XI (4-4-2): Misa; García, Lakrar, Mendez, Carmona; Teresa, Angeldahl, Leupolz Del Castillo; Weir, Redondo.
Subs: Chavas, Téllez, Hernández, Gálvez, Silva, Caicedo, Bruun, Møller, Camacho, Navarro, Feller.
📋 ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadridfem) October 8, 2024
✅ Our starting XI!
🆚 @ChelseaFCW #UWCL pic.twitter.com/quMUnJf5Xr
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to our very first live blog of this season’s Women’s Champions League: Chelsea v Real Madrid!
Chelsea have been so utterly dominant domestically this past decade but it is this elusive trophy that has escaped their grasp time and time and time and time and time again.
But one thing has changed from all of those losses: Sonia Bompastor. The French manager joined the Blues this summer after Emma Hayes sailed the high seas to take the United States job.
Bompastor has won the WCL twice as a player and – more importantly – once as a manager. Does she bring the experience needed to get Chelsea over the line?
That is yet to be seen, of course. First, Chelsea need to get through the groups and their first test is Real Madrid. The Spanish side are not as dominant as their league rivals Barcelona and their record is poor in Europe, but they do have a few stars that can hurt even the best of sides.
Let’s not waste any more time and get straight into the team news. Kick-off is set for 8pm BST at Stamford Bridge.
And, as always, if you have thoughts, questions, concerns, predictions or any thing else you want to share with me and the world, feel free to send me an email!
