Chelsea were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Swedish side BK Häcken in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Tuesday, despite dominating possession and creating numerous scoring opportunities in Gothenburg.
The English side struck the woodwork twice and had two goals ruled out, while goalkeeper Jennifer Falk produced several important saves to keep the visitors at bay. The result left Chelsea with 8 points from 4 matches, maintaining their unbeaten record in the league phase.
Chelsea Dominate but Fail to Find the Net
Sonia Bompastor’s side started strongly at the Hisingen Arena, controlling possession and putting the home defence under sustained pressure.
Chelsea thought they had taken the lead through Wieke Kaptein early in the match, but the goal was disallowed after Lexi Potter was judged to have interfered with goalkeeper Jennifer Falk from an offside position.
Melvine Malard also found the net in the first half after breaking through the defence, but her effort was ruled out for offside.
Despite creating several more chances, Chelsea could not convert their dominance into goals. Lucy Bronze came close before half-time when her effort struck the crossbar.
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Häcken goalkeeper Jennifer Falk was central to the home side’s defensive performance, making important saves to deny Chelsea throughout the contest.
Ellie Carpenter was among the players frustrated by Falk’s interventions, while substitute Manaka Matsukubo also saw a close-range attempt saved.
Chelsea continued pushing for a winner in the closing stages, but Häcken remained organised and threatened on the counter-attack. Maja Bodin came close to snatching victory late in the match, only for Chelsea goalkeeper Livia Peng and defender Veerle Buurman to prevent a goal.
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Maika Hamano struck the crossbar during stoppage time, summing up Chelsea’s difficult evening in front of goal.
According to UEFA statistics, Chelsea registered 27 attempts compared with Häcken’s 5, but neither side managed to score.
Chelsea Remain Unbeaten in the Competition
Although the draw was a disappointing outcome for Chelsea, they remain unbeaten and have yet to concede a goal in their opening 4 league-phase matches.
The London club moved to 8 points and remained among the leading teams in the standings, keeping their hopes of securing a strong position ahead of the knockout stages alive.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor described the result as frustrating, acknowledging that her team had travelled to Sweden with the ambition of securing all 3 points.
The result came after another frustrating domestic performance, with Chelsea drawing 1-1 against Everton in the Women’s Super League at the weekend.
Chelsea will now turn their attention to a major league encounter against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Source: UEFA, Chelsea FC, AFP, The Express Tribune
