A late penalty from Sandy Baltimore spared Chelsea's blushes as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a resilient Twente side in their opening Women's Champions League match. The reigning Dutch champions threatened to pull off a shock victory, but the Blues ultimately salvaged a point in a game where they were far from their best.
Chelsea, one of the favorites to win the competition, began their European campaign with a new format this year, mirroring the men's tournament with a league phase replacing the group stage. However, Sonia Bompastor's squad faced a stern test against a well-organized Twente team. Bompastor made seven changes to the Chelsea side that started their previous match against Manchester United. Livia Peng made her debut in goal, and there were also starts for Veerle Buurman, Oriane Jean-Francois, Maika Hamano, Sjoeke Nusken, Alyssa Thompson and Guro Reiten.
Twente, who lost heavily to Chelsea in last season's group stage, displayed significant improvement. They frustrated Chelsea's attacking waves with an efficient defensive unit. Their maturity was evident as they avoided trying to directly match Chelsea's press or engage in one-on-one battles.
The home side took a surprise lead in the 63rd minute through their captain, Danique van Ginkel, sending the home crowd into raptures. Jill Roord assisted Van Ginkel. However, Chelsea responded in the 71st minute when Guro Reiten drew a foul in the penalty area. Sandy Baltimore stepped up and calmly converted the penalty, leveling the score.
Despite Chelsea's late pressure, Twente held on for a well-deserved draw. The result prompted discussions about whether Sonia Bompastor had made too many changes to her starting XI. Twente's game plan was effective: maintain a strong defense and launch quick counter-attacks. They nearly secured a famous victory.
Chelsea's lineup included Peng, Carpenter, Bright, Buurman, Baltimore, Jean-Francois, Hamano, Nusken, Thompson, Reiten, and Beever-Jones. The substitutes were Hampton, Kaptein, Walsh, Sarwie, Bjorn, Potter, Kerr, Cuthbert, and Rytting Kaneryd. Twente's starting XI consisted of Lemey, Carleer, Knol, Groenewegen, Van Ginkel, Ravensbergen, Roord, Tuin, Vliek, Oude Elberink, and Proost.
The draw represents a setback for Chelsea's Champions League aspirations. Every piece of silverware is valuable, but for the team that has repeatedly won it all domestically, the desire for the final piece of their trophy puzzle is strong. It eluded them during Emma Hayes' tenure, defeat to Barcelona in the 2020-21 final the closest they came. Three back-to-back semi-final defeats to Barcelona, including losing 8-2 on aggregate to the Catalan giants last season, have stung each and every time. They will need to improve their performance in the upcoming matches to progress deep into the competition.
