"The Champions League is Chelsea's white whale. They want it. They want it badly. However, their title credentials took a knock in the Netherlands, a 1-1 draw against Twente far from the ideal start to a tournament they long to dominate. Despite their dominance in possession it was the home team that took the lead, through captain Danique van Ginkel, before Sandy Baltimore converted from the spot for the equaliser."
"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."
Chelsea started their Women's Champions League campaign with a 1-1 draw at Twente despite dominating possession. Twente took the lead through captain Danique van Ginkel before Sandy Baltimore levelled from the penalty spot. Sonia Bompastor rotated the squad heavily for the trip, but the changes did not yield a winning start in the new league-phase format. Chelsea have repeatedly fallen short in Europe, notably losing the 2020-21 final to Barcelona and suffering three successive semi-final defeats, including an 8-2 aggregate loss last season. Twente played as an efficient, organised unit that frustrated Chelsea and created the best first-half chance through Leonie Vliek.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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