Chelsea 2-0 Real Madrid: Blues maintain perfect start in Women’s Champions League

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes mentioned her squad is the very best the Blues “have ever had” as her aspect maintained their perfect start in the Women’s Champions League by seeing off Real Madrid.

Chelsea stay favourites to win Group A, and at the moment are 5 factors away from second-placed Paris St-Germain.

“This workforce is on one other degree,” mentioned Hayes.

“This is the very best squad we have ever had. I believe that studying from earlier years and studying from shedding in the ultimate [against Barcelona in 2021] helped.”

Following a colorless first half, the Blues took the lead by way of Sophie Ingle’s 67th-minute header after Millie Bright flicked on a nook.

Erin Cuthbert’s dipping cross sealed the factors with quarter-hour left, catching out goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez.

Blues canter residence at expectant Kingsmeadow

Chelsea, who returned to the highest of the Women’s Super League on Sunday after beating Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, got here into the match main the group, two factors forward of unbeaten Real Madrid.

After a 1-0 win over Paris St-Germain and an 8-0 victory towards Vllaznia in their two different Champions League matches, a bouncing Kingsmeadow crowd was expectant.

They got here shut by way of Fran Kirby’s early curling effort in an in any other case uneventful first half.

With 25 minutes to go there was a nervous power at Kingsmeadow with Real Madrid rising into the sport, however that was quickly changed with reduction after Ingle’s opener.

And Chelsea practically added a 3rd by way of two Niamh Charles efforts on the dying as they cantered to victory.

Hayes praised her aspect’s maturity, including: “I believe a few years in the past we might have gotten impatient, particularly in the primary half.

“It was a relaxed dressing room at half-time. When these two groups are so comparatively matched, I’m beginning to see the significance of our expertise.

“We definitely play higher European soccer, we’re changing into extra accustomed to it.”

Real Madrid second-best in London

This was the primary assembly between Chelsea and Real Madrid, however Las Blancas boast a advantageous document towards English groups in the Champions League having knocked out Manchester City for the second consecutive season in August’s qualifiers.

The guests got here to west London having solely misplaced as soon as this marketing campaign, towards Barcelona in the Primera Division the place they sit third in the desk.

And although they struggled in the opening exchanges, final 12 months’s quarter-finalists grew into the sport as Esther Gonzalez noticed a fierce shot blocked shortly after the restart.

But it was to be their solely significant effort, with Chelsea the higher aspect on Hayes’ first sport again at Kingsmeadow since recovering from surgery.