When we look back at our first Women’s Champions League match of last season, we were hopeful to secure an easy victory away against FC Twente, but we only managed to come away with a 1-1 draw.
With this result, the well-deserved 1-1 draw against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge guaranteed progression directly to the knockout stages without having to play on extra two-legged tie, meaning the final group stage match- a tough away fixture against Wolfsburg – was all that remained.
According to Alyssa Thompson, whilst the performance on Wednesday night 1-0 victory over, Austria Vienna may not linger long in the fans’ memories, it indicates that they are currently in a better position than they were a year ago.
The results of our next five league matches are, of course , by no means guaranteed , particularly when we consider the tough away fixture against Lyon, Sonia Bompastor’s former club.
However, last night we had to secure the three points – which was the only thing we could do – and , quite frankly, that is exactly what we did.
Following the final whistle, Thompson eagerly highlighted this point and spoke of how the team had fought with great dedication to secure a victory that could prove vital in mid-December, when the UWCL league phase comes to an end.
‘It’s still early, but we’re definitely clicking. We’ve had some injuries too, so once we get everyone back, I feel like we have a super deep squad. We’re able to win games, and I think we’ve been playing well together, connecting, and doing well physically.
‘ I feel great with the team that we have, and we know we can put up a fight and play in these physical games.’
Thompson scored three shots in total, two of which were on target, putting in a strong performance on the night. She also completed ten passes into the attacking third and successfully dribbled the ball six times.
She recorded the top of any Chelsea player in this field, winning both of the one-on-one duels she involved in and managed to win the ball back from her opponent on both occasions
Even so, top players always expect more from their performances; indeed, although her attempts had yielded an xG (expected goals) value of just 0,12, she felt she could convert these chances into goals.
‘ I feel like I could’ve finished my chances, ‘ Thompson continued. ‘ As a forward, I always want to contribute either a goal or an assist, so I feel like I could do better in that for the team. But it was a physical game, so I did the best that I could to try to hold up the ball for the team, move the ball forward and things like that to get the win.
‘It was great for us to get the win, and it gives us a lot of momentum going into this weekend. All the girls just need to rest and recover, and we’ll be good. We’ll be fresh. I think we’re going to play so many different teams and styles during the Champions League, so every test is a great for us, and we came out with the three points, so it was a good one.
