Sonia Bompastor reveals reason for Hannah Hampton's surprise omission from Chelsea's Champions League clash with Real Madrid

The English goalkeeper failed to make it to Sonia Bompastor's starting lineup as Chelsea faced Real Madrid in their 2024-25 Women's Champions League opener on Tuesday. In a closely fought game, the reigning Women's Super League champions edged out the Spanish giants 3-2 to begin their journey in the competition on a winning note.

Hampton started the new season on a positive note and had performed exceptionally well in the Blues' Women's Super League opener last month as they breezed past Aston Villa 1-0. Therefore, fans were left bemused when she was dropped from the lineup, however, Bompastor has now revealed the real reason why the England international was left out on the bench.

Speaking to the club's website after the game, the Blues boss said, "Hannah felt unwell just before they went out. She’s now feeling better, she recovered. It was a situation that happened right before we went out and we had to manage that. Zecira was ready. We have two really good goalkeepers and she was ready to play."

The West London club will be back in the WSL on Saturday as they take on rivals Arsenal in a crunch encounter.