LONDON, 1 APR – After losing the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) quarter-final to Arsenal on the 24th of March, Chelsea won 1–0 on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge against the title holders. The win was not enough to see them through to the semi-finals.
German midfielder Sjoeke Nusken scored a late opener as she powerfully shot the ball past Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar in the 90+4th minute, giving the Blues the lead in a hard-fought game.
“It felt like we were the better team but we weren’t the most clinical. I think that was the difference between the two teams,” Lucy Bronze said to the BBC after the match. “Take that energy and that focus into the rest of the season because we’ve still got things to play for.”
Chelsea’s Veerle Buurman hit the right post with a right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box following a corner in the 85th minute, but the rebound left the score level.
In what was thought to be a win for Arsenal, first leg goalscorer Stina Blackstenius shot the ball past Hannah Hampton to give the Gunners the lead. But, the goal was quickly overturned by VAR leaving the score level at 0-0 in the 80th minute.
Matilda’s striker, Sam Kerr, missed a big opportunity in the 53rd minute when her right-footed shot from outside the box was saved in the top right corner by Arsenal’s van Domselaar, missing the chance to give the home side a crucial lead.
“I think my players deserve a lot more respect,” said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor, who earned herself a red card following two yellows.
She explained she felt unhappy with the refereeing of both legs of the quarter final.
“If they are happy with what happened in the first leg and tonight, that is not good enough.
“I think we created enough opportunities, the only difference is that we couldn’t score. We couldn’t score more than one, and that is why we are not qualified”
Despite their win, the Blues were unable to level the score in the second leg after losing 3-1 in the first leg last week. The Blues will miss out on a spot in the UWCL semi-finals after losing 3-2 on aggregate.
Chelsea return to play on the 6th of April in another London derby against Tottenham Hotspur at Kingsmeadow for the FA Women’s Cup semi-finals.
