Chelsea Women achieved a famous win in Italy in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday night, beating Juventus 2-1.
Juve were a tough nut to crack in the cauldron of Turin's Allianz stadium, but the Blues pulled ahead... then clung on for the victory against ex-Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro's girls.
Chelsea took the lead after 31 minutes... a superb solo effort by Erin Cuthbert, controlling the ball with her foot, then heading it down and powering through the Italian defence, maintaining perfect balance, before planting the ball in the corner of the net.
Six minutes later it was 1-1 as Juve's Barbara Bonansea volleyed home a ball which arrived via an excellent diagonal cross.
With around 60 per cent of the possession in the first half, Chelsea dominated, but the clinching goal came in the 69th minute. Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby interchanged passes, but the ball bobbled free and Pernille Harder was in the right place to fire home.
The pressure rose through the last 20 minutes as the Blues held on, waiting for the ref's final whistle. Chelsea withstood several attacks, going from three to four at the back, but hold on they did.
It was a memorable night for Emma Hayes and the Chelsea team, leaving the Blues level with Wolfsburg at the top of the group table just as an international break arrives.
"I felt we were resilient enough," said Hayes. "We took our chances when it mattered, and that's why we're the winning team. We're in a strong position."
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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