Chelsea opened their Women's Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Austria Wien at Plough Lane thanks to Wieke Kaptein's early wonder strike. However, the narrow win was overshadowed by an early injury concern for Keira Walsh, who was forced off after just 20 minutes.
Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor has cautioned her squad against underestimating Austria Vienna ahead of Wednesday's European opener. With the Austrian champions arriving in London as fearless debutants playing without pressure, the French manager insisted that the Blues must execute their tactical plan flawlessly to secure vital points at home.
The road to European glory has been mapped out following the UEFA Women's Champions League league phase draw in Nyon. England's elite representatives have discovered their fate, with several mouth-watering ties confirmed for this campaign.
Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have all learned their opponents for the third qualifying round of the Women's Champions League, with victory in the final round of the preliminary stage to secure passage through to the league phase of the 2026-27 edition of the UWCL. With the likes of Ajax and Inter lurking as potential opposition, Tuesday's draw threw up some interesting ties.
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