Chelsea Women 2-1 Real Madrid Femenino
It may not have been the most convincing display, with even gaffer Emma Hayes described the game as "boring". But Chelsea Women have made it through to the Champions League quarter-finals with a game to spare, after beating Real Madrid in midweek at Stamford Bridge.
With less than four months of Hayes' reign remaining before her transatlantic adventure starts, the Blues are in the last eight, with two legs to be played in mid to late March.
If Chelsea can get through those games, and the semis at the end of April, the final will be played in Bilbao on 25 May.
More than 11,200 spectators cheered on the Blues to a 2-1 victory on Wednesday evening, with a penalty from Guro Reiten and a messy own goal from Spanish keeper Mylene Chavas being enough for the win.
Spot kick
The spot kick, soon after the hour mark, followed Niamh Charles being tripped in the area by Hayley Raso. The second goal – after a surprise equaliser against the run of play – was almost farcical.
Erin Cuthbert, wearing the captain's armband, fired in a close-range shot which took a deflection off a defender's leg before striking the Real Madrid goalie and bouncing into the net.
The Blues travel to Brighton on Saturday to try to maintain their three-point lead at the top of the WSL table. The squad then fly to Paris for the last group match on Tuesday evening, knowing that all the pressure is off and they can relax, safe in the knowledge that they are already in the knockout stage of the competition that Hayes dearly wants to win as she says goodbye.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
