Match report: Chelsea 3-0 Celtic

Chelsea has earned a spot in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League after defeating Celtic 3-0 at Stamford Bridge this evening.

Lucy Bronze kicked off the scoring in West London within just two minutes, delivering a stunning volley that found the back of the net. The lead increased to 2-0 halfway through the first half when Wieke Kaptein scored with a header from a cross by Guro Reiten.

Sonia Bompastor's team dominated the match for the entire 90 minutes, and a penalty by Eve Perisset in the stoppage time of the second half confirmed our strong performance in the final score.

After earning all available points from our first four matches in Group B, the Blues have confirmed their spot in the knockout stage with two games remaining. We've also extended our winning streak across all competitions to 11 consecutive matches.

After overcoming Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and rising to the top of the Women's Super League, the Blues headed back to SW6, concentrating on keeping up their strong momentum in the season.

Bompastor made six alterations to the starting lineup, bringing in Zecira Musovic, who celebrated her 50th appearance for Chelsea, along with Maelys Mpome, Ashley Lawrence, Wieke Kaptein, Oriane Jean-Francois, and Catarina Macario.

The Blues kicked off the match perfectly, scoring within the first two minutes. After a corner from Chelsea, Macario sent a cross into the area that found Bronze completely unmarked. She struck the ball beautifully, sending a spectacular volley past goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty, marking her second goal for Chelsea.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, having kicked off the season strongly, tried to increase our lead shortly after with a shot from just outside the penalty area, but the Celtic goalkeeper made a good save. Macario then had a chance of her own but wasn’t able to find the back of the net with her bending shot from inside the box.

The visitors finally had a real chance to score about 20 minutes into the game when Murphy Agnew, who found the net for Celtic during Chelsea's 2-1 victory in their previous encounter last week, was set up for a shot on goal. Unfortunately, she missed the target by a significant margin.

This turned out to be a key moment in the match when the Blues quickly extended their lead to 2-0, thanks to Kaptein's second goal for Chelsea and her first in the Champions League. The play originated from a corner kick, and after the ball was played back to Reiten, she delivered a perfect cross into the box, allowing Kaptein to score with a header from 12 yards out.

Not long after the game resumed, Sjoeke Nusken aimed to score again with a shot from near the penalty box, but her strong effort went over the crossbar. Shortly after, Rytting Kaneryd set up a header for Macario, but she was unable to direct the ball on target, sending it wide instead.

As the first half was coming to an end, Celtic made an attempt to respond, but Bronze stepped up to stop a pass intended for Agnew during a quick counter-attack. Our Lioness skillfully passed the ball back to Musovic, helping us maintain our two-goal advantage going into halftime.

Looking For A Third Option

The formidable Rytting Kaneryd had the first chance of the second half as she sprinted down the right side and took a shot at goal. However, her attempt was stopped and ultimately cleared away by Celtic’s captain, Kelly Clark.

Kaptein had a chance to score her second goal in the 50th minute when she was found near the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately, her shot sailed over the crossbar. Shortly after, Rytting Kaneryd also missed a chance, shooting over after we regained possession following a goal kick from Celtic.

After coming on as a substitute at halftime, Mayra Ramirez aimed to make her mark on the game. She took a shot from a difficult angle, but it was deflected out for a corner. The Blues then had two consecutive set-piece opportunities, yet they were unable to generate any significant scoring chances.

Our two players who scored goals worked together in an attempt to create our third goal. Bronze delivered a precise pass to Kaptein, but this time the midfielder's shot went straight into the hands of Celtic's goalkeeper, Kelsey Daugherty.

Opportunities continued to arise when defender Mpome delivered an excellent long pass that allowed Ramirez to sprint into the penalty area with the ball, seemingly outpacing her defender. Sadly, the referee ruled that she had committed a foul on the Celtic player, resulting in a free-kick being awarded just before she could take her shot.

Ramirez quickly became involved in the game once more when she sent an amazing pass to Reiten, helping to change the direction of the play. The Norwegian international took a shot from outside the penalty area, but it was intercepted by defender Emma Lawton.

In the final moments of the game, Ramirez found another chance to score, but her shot from within the penalty area was thwarted by Caitlin Hayes.

There was reason to celebrate later on when 17-year-old Academy graduate Lola Brown, who just signed her first professional contract earlier this week, made her Chelsea debut by entering the game in the 85th minute.

The reason to celebrate doubled during stoppage time when the Blues received a penalty after a cross from Bronze was ruled to have struck a Celtic player's hand. Eve Perisset took the opportunity to score her first goal for Chelsea, capping off a fantastic performance by Bompastor's team.

The victory ensures that the Blues have earned a spot in the quarter-finals with two matches remaining. We are assured of finishing in at least second place before our home game against FC Twente and our last group match away against Real Madrid.

We'll be playing our last match before the international break as we resume league action this Sunday afternoon. The Blues will face Manchester United at Kingsmeadow, and there's an opportunity to extend our lead at the top of the table to five points.

Chelsea lineup: Musovic; Bronze, Bright, Mpome, Lawrence (Brown substituted in at 85th minute), Nusken (Bartel substituted in at 85th minute), Kaptein, Jean-Francois, Reiten (Perisset substituted in at 70th minute), Rytting Kaneryd (Cuthbert substituted in at 58th minute), Macario (Ramirez substituted in at halftime). Unused substitutes included: Hampton, Cox, Bjorn, Baltimore, and Hamano. Goal scorers for the team were Bronze at the 2nd minute, Kaptein at the 25th minute, and Perisset at the 90+5th minute.

Celtic lineup: Daugherty; Lawton, Clark, Hayes, Barclais, McGregor, Cavanagh (substituted for S Carstens in the 62nd minute), Smith (replaced by Noonan in the 71st minute), Agnew (taken off for Cross in the 61st minute), Ashworth-Clifford (replaced by M Carstens in the 83rd minute), Gallacher (substituted for Kerner in the 83rd minute). Players who didn't play: Logan, Rodgers, Costa, Munoz, McAneny.