Chelsea ease to victory as Thompson lights up the night
Chelsea opened their Women’s Champions League campaign with a confident win over Paris FC at Stamford Bridge, showcasing the depth and pace that has excited fans since Sonia Bompastor took charge. The Blues controlled long stretches of the match, creating chance after chance and finally breaking the deadlock from the penalty spot before the break.
The opener came from Sandy Baltimore, converting from 12 yards after a rash challenge inside the box. From there, Chelsea pressed with urgency, and the game began to tilt decisively in their favour. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Erin Cuthbert both found the net as the home side built a comfortable lead, with Alyssa Thompson standing out for her movement, pace and decision-making in the final third.
Alyssa Thompson makes a mark on west London debut season
Thompson’s first Chelsea goal came soon after the break, a close-range finish that underscored the teenager’s impact since arriving for a club-record fee earlier in the summer. The 20-year-old has adapted quickly to life in west London, and her performance against Paris FC suggested there is more to come as she builds chemistry with teammates and learns to read the flow of matches in this league.
“It’s big for her confidence,” Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor said after the match. “She’s quick and has a real engine. We haven’t seen the best of her yet, and there’s still adaptation to make. Coming from abroad into a new environment is always a challenge, but she’s making strides on the pitch.”
Team performance and tactical notes
Chelsea dominated possession from the outset, seeking early goals and applying pressure high up the pitch. Yet the breakthrough required patience, with the visitors siting deep and resilient at times. Nüsken and Cuthbert tested the goalkeeper from distance, and Aggie Beever-Jones also had gilt-edged opportunities that could have altered the margin earlier.
The referee’s decision to award the crucial penalty after a VAR check changed the rhythm of the first half and allowed Baltimore to convert for the second time in as many matches in this competition. The hosts then extended their lead late in the first period when Thompson’s pace and clever footwork allowed her to deliver a cross that Kaneryd headed home with a neat looping finish.
Second-half demands and squad depth
Coming out after the break, Chelsea didn’t ease off. Thompson’s close-range finish doubled the advantage, and the scoreline could have looked even more one-sided if not for some smart defending from Paris FC and a few late touches from the visitors’ goalkeeper. Cuthbert then added a fourth with a finish on the line after a Kerr header, punishing any slackness in the box and highlighting Chelsea’s collective threat in set-piece situations and in transitions.
Substitutions kept the tempo high as the Cobham academy product Lexi Potter made her Chelsea debut, signaling the club’s continued reliance on a mix of academy graduates and senior internationals to sustain performances across competitions. The win was a timely morale boost ahead of an away trip to St Pölten in Austria, where Chelsea will seek to maintain momentum in Group stage play.
Looking ahead
With a comfortable victory secured, Chelsea can focus on refining attacking cohesion and rotational balance. Bompastor’s squad rotation remains a tool to manage minutes and maintain freshness across a demanding calendar, but the result provides validation that Chelsea’s patient buildup and willingness to innovate in attack are beginning to bear fruit. Thompson’s emergence as a consistent threat behind the striker line adds another dynamic to an evolving Chelsea attack as they pursue Champions League glory.
