Sonia Bompastor's unbeaten record was in serious danger after a mistake by the Lionesses' goalkeeper, but her half-time substitute changed the game
When Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor brought Catarina Macario on at half-time in the Blues' vital Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday night, even she could not have imagined the American forward would make as big and as sudden of an impact as she did. Entering the game with Las Blancas 1-0 up, within 11 minutes Macario had converted two penalties, one of which she won herself, and turned the match upside down to give Chelsea a win that secured top spot in their UWCL group.
Bompastor's perfect start to life in London came to a frustrating end at the weekend, when the Blues were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Leicester in the Women's Super League, and her unbeaten record was in serious danger in Spain after Hannah Hampton failed to keep out a strike from Caroline Weir which she got a strong hand to. Real had chances to add to their lead before the break too, most notably when Olga Carmona fired just a whisker wide following wonderful work by Weir.
Chelsea's chances in that first half were limited but that all changed when Macario entered the fray. She fired a warning shot within seconds with an offside goal, forced Misa Rodrigez into a great stop one-v-one a few minutes later and then prompted a clumsy tackle in the box out of Olga, before dusting herself off to confidently convert from the spot. Within five minutes, Olga was left remonstrating once more, this time penalised for a handball in the area. Macario remained cool while waiting to try and beat Misa from 12 yards again though and when the referee finally blew her whistle, she hit the exact same spot to secure a 2-1 win that means Chelsea will face a group stage runner-up in the quarter-finals.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (3/10):
Made a real mess of Weir's strike when she should've kept it out. Distribution wasn't great, either.
Lucy Bronze (4/10):
Struggled to contain the double threat of Caicedo and Olga, and later Athenea, losing a crucial duel to the Olga in the build-up to Real's goal.
Nathalie Bjorn (5/10):
Her and Bright were exposed far too often at the back by a lively attack.
Millie Bright (5/10):
As well as being caught on the back foot regularly, she gave the ball away in dangerous positions a few too many times.
Niamh Charles (7/10):
Kept Real relatively quiet down her side and was lively in attack, making the interception in the final third which led to Chelsea's second goal.
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Erin Cuthbert (7/10):
Delivered good set pieces that created some chances for her players and then started to make her mark in open play in the second half, putting Macario through on goal brilliantly for a big opportunity.
Wieke Kaptein (7/10):
Battled away nicely in midfield and won possession more often than any other player. That pressure almost gave her a great chance in the first half, but a defender just nipped in to steal it away at the vital moment.
Sjoeke Nusken (6/10):
Worked hard and was reliable on the ball in the areas she needed to be, though her end product in the final third was lacking.
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Aggie Beever-Jones (5/10):
Worked very hard and had a couple of nice moments, but things often just didn't come off for her.
Mayra Ramirez (5/10):
Drove the attack forward consistently and was Chelsea's biggest attacking threat with her running power, though that didn't amount to many chances. Off at the break.
Guro Reiten (5/10):
Had Chelsea's most meaningful effort of the first half but also let Weir run right past her for the opening goal, then limped off injured before half-time.
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Maika Hamano (6/10):
On just before half time due to injury to Reiten and brought some positivity to the attack, while also honouring her defensive duties.
Catarina Macario (9/10):
Replaced Ramirez at the break and made an immediate impact. Scoring two penalties within 11 minutes, one of which she won. Could've had a hat-trick too, if Misa hadn't denied her with a great save one-on-one.
Ashley Lawrence (6/10):
Came on for the final 20 minutes to help Chelsea see the game out and made a couple of timely defensive interventions as part of that effort.
Sandy Baltimore (5/10):
Like Lawrence, her task was to ensure her team held on to this win and she did that job well, despite picking up a frustrating yellow card.
Sonia Bompastor (8/10):
Injuries limited her selection choice for this game, and indeed forced her to make a change during, but she put out her best team possible to get a vital result and was proactive with her subs. Felt bold to take off Ramirez and yet, it was a move that proved game-changing, with Macario turning the evening around.