Chelsea Women beat Austria Vienna 1:0 in the Women's Champions League League Stage opener at Whitshi Park on Tuesday night. The hosts controlled possession with 67 per cent and created more chances, but the result hinged on a single moment in the opening minutes. Wieke Hendrikje Maria Kaptein found the net in the eleventh minute, and that proved enough despite Austria Vienna's efforts to equalise.
I watched the whole match and the twentieth minute stuck in my mind. Keira Walsh came off for the hosts then, and the shape shifted. By then Chelsea had already camped in the final third with their passing game, but Austria Vienna's defensive block held firm. They worked a short corner in the twenty-fourth minute and looked dangerous, yet the hosts cleared with ease.
We called for a Chelsea win beforehand and it came to pass. Not that I'm boasting — the visitors simply paid for a sloppy opening. Austria Vienna pressed high and left space behind, which Kaptein exploited with a well-timed run. And here's the thing about these matches: they often turn on one or two decisions rather than ninety minutes of dominance.
The statistics tell part of the story. Chelsea registered twelve shots inside the penalty area compared to nine for Austria Vienna, while the visitors managed six shots from distance. Sixteen successful dribbles against five shows how the hosts kept the ball moving. Austria Vienna made twenty-three tackles to Chelsea's twelve, which suggests they were under pressure for long periods.
Both sides showed discipline with one yellow card each — Katie McCabe for Chelsea in the fifty-first minute and Almedina Sisic for the visitors in the eighty-ninth. Five substitutions were made across the ninety minutes, with the hosts bringing on Modesta Uka and Louise Christine Ingeborg Schöffel in the seventy-ninth minute to see out the result.
Chelsea extend their unbeaten run with this victory, adding to recent results against Birmingham City and Manchester United. Austria Vienna travel home with points to think about after their European campaign begins. The goal difference remains level at this stage, but the hosts have already established control in their group.
