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Half-time: Vllaznia 0-2 Chelsea
We are at the break and the hosts are yet to get into this with Chelsea in full control. Ingle and Kirby the difference so far.
45 min: Williams-Mosier does well to punch the ball from Perisset away which results in a corner. The French player will take the corner, it comes to Reiten on the edge of the area but she can’t convert.
44 min: Kirby got a great cross into the box but no teammate was there to reap the rewards. Williams-Mosier does well to come out and punch a chance away. Chelsea have won a free kick on the edge of the area as Reiten is fouled by Popovic, who gets a yellow card.
42 min: Fleming and Kirby don’t quite link up in the box as the visitors look to bury this game. Remember Chelsea only need a point to secure a quarter-final spot.
40 min: It’s been slow going this match with Vllaznia doing well, although 2-0 down, to repel Chelsea. Doci is frustrated as Chelsea are given a corner where she believes it was a goal kick. Perisset takes the kick but Cankovic’s shot is blocked.
38 min: Charles tries to find Reiten but it has too much on it and goes out for a goal kick.
36 min: Nouwen tries to trigger a long range shot but it’s blocked. Ingle fouls in the box and Vllaznia have a free kick, Williams-Mosier will take it. It’s bundled into the midfield and yes Chelsea are in possession.
34 min: Franja tries to create some attack for the home side but Chelsea are quickly back in control. Vllaznia are putting in a good defensive effort as they repel another chance. You can hear a small group of fans in the stadium, you can’t see them as the cameras are on the opposite side.
32 min: The scoreboard is definitely in Chelsea’s favour but they need to convert some more plays for this to be a convincing performance. Something missing from this match and I can’t quite put my finger on what.
30 min: Perisset sends it in but Lufo heads it out for another corner. Perisset sends it in once more, Nouwen has a header on target but Williams-Mosier catches.
28 min: Franja gives away a cheap free kick, who gers a warning from the referee, and Perisset stands over the set piece once again. This time she decides to take it short, the ball eventually coming into the box but not connecting with Kirby. Chelsea, yes you have guessed it, are on the attack again and Gjini hits out the attack for a corner.
26 min: Chelsea have a free kick after Franja fouls Kirby, Perisset takes the kick which she does but they are pulled back for a foul in the box. Gjerji gets a yellow card before Perisset lines up to take it again. It’s thundered in but it’s repelled. Buchanan picks up the rolling ball and Chelsea are off again.
24 min: Chelsea are on the hunt for their third before half an hour here, this could be a painful evening for the hosts. Perisset was waiting on the edge of the box but the pass to her had too much on it.
22 min: Vllaznia protest to the referee, they really were not prepared for that to be taken, but the official has none of it. It was well worked by Chelsea, a good run from Kirby seeing her slot it in the top left corner.
GOAL! Vllaznia 0-2 Chelsea (Kirby, 21′)
Perisset crosses it in but it’s initially dealt with by Vllaznia. Is that a goal? Chelsea take a free kick quickly and Kirby scores!
20 min: Chelsea are being patient on the ball but there are a few chances going to waste at the moment with Ingle trying to find Kirby with a loose pass in their latest attack. They then come forward once more and Kerr has a shot which is pushed wide by Williams-Mosier, Chelsea corner to come.
18 min: Perisset sends it in but it’s cleared by Franja. Vllaznia try to counter by Doci, who sends in a long range hit but Musovic saves.
16 min: Kerr fouls Popovic in the Chelsea box so the latest threat is dealt with by Vllaznia. The Chelsea are running through the phases here, not quite into top gear. The latest chance is put behind by Gjergji for a Chelsea corner.
14 min: The ball was pinballing around the box and Ingle found herself in a great position, she took a one touch finish to score in the bottom right corner. It feels as though the goals will rain in now the first has been scored.
GOAL! Vllaznia 0-1 Chelsea (Ingle, 13′)
And there it is, calmly slotted home.
12 min: There’s a player down, it’s Doci, and she doesn’t look good. She was hit by a close range ball, hopefully she is okay. And she is back to her feet, she is clutching her side but she will continue here. Vllaznia have their first attacking chance here but Shala can’t get it away.
10 min: A ball comes in for Kerr but she can’t get to it before Williams-Mosier, the keeper is having a great game so far. Reiten gets a good cross in but Doci hits it out for a corner. Perisset sends it in but Chelsea can’t convert it.
8 min: Perisset sent it in but Vllaznia clears it but Chelsea are still in full control of this match. Vllaznia are doing enough so far to repel the visitors but it feels like a matter of time.
6 min: Kirby unleashes Kerr who is forced to pass on after a great press from Vllaznia. Nouwen crosses into the box but Williams-Mosier collects. Chelsea are still hammering the line and they earn themselves a corner.
4 min: Kerr gets it in but it’s cleared by Vllaznia but they concede a corner. Perisset takes it and Williams-Mosier punches away for another corner. Perisset takes it short and Ingle sends it in but it’s cleared.
2 min: Nouwen and Buchanan link up well and Perisset sends it in but Williams-Mosier collects. All Chelsea so far.
Kick-off! Vllaznia 0-0 Chelsea
Here we go! Can Chelsea secure their spot in the knock-out stage? Or can Vllaznia get their first win in the tournament?
The players will be out shortly, are we expecting a high scoring again like the reverse fixture? Let me know via Twitter and email.
Hayes also spoke about almost throwing away points against Reading in the WSL last weekend. She added: “We were 3-0 up and in a really strong position, and it was five minutes of sustained pressure that as a team we didn’t manage particularly well.
“But overall I think we played really well against Reading. As a team we always expect the best all of the time, and over the years we’ve had in this competition it’s been no different. We want to produce our best performances in every game we play.”
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes is keen for her side not to under-estimate their opponents this evening. She said: “We have to expect they will have learned from their European journey and for us to be the top professionals that we are, to make sure we’re ready for the things they’ve worked on.”
Chelsea only need a point this evening to secure their spot in the quarter-finals. If Real Madrid fail to beat Paris Saint-Germain, the other game in Chelsea’s group, then the Blues will go through even if Vllaznia defeat them.
Harriet has got in touch and come to my rescue! She has said via email: “I’ve always found that those little chocolate bars with crispy rice in them take the edge off those work-related adrenaline spikes. I personally think the Hershey’s Krackel are the best sort but they don’t come in full-size bars anymore. Wonder what everyone else thinks?” I am about to tuck into some Celebrations but any other tips will be helpful!
There has been some exciting news in women’s football today for Arsenal fans as Beth Mead has signed a new contract. The club has not specifically said how long the deal is but it’s thought to be long-term.
I have found Vllaznia’s team news!
Here’s the full team: Williams-Mosier, Popovic, Gjergji, Maliqi, Gjini, Ramadani, Franja, Doci, Shala, Cavanaugh, Lufo
Gosh you know after you’ve been stressed it feels like you’re on the top of the mountain? I have that feeling right now, just need to calm down for a few seconds haha!
Arsenal were defeated by Lyon 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium but it did not stop the London club from qualifying from the quarter-finals. They will have to beat Zurich next week in order to top the group. Their qualification came at a price though as star striker Vivianne Miedema was hit with a serious injury. Arsenal are yet to update fans but it didn’t look good when the Netherlands international was stretchered off. Read about all the action:
Okay the laptop is finally behaving itself and I have climbed down from my stress high! The adrenaline is fresh through my body so this will be an exhilarating match! Let’s have a look back at last night shall we to calm down?
I apologise for my posts right now, I’ll be back in full flow in just a moment! My laptop has decided to have a full breakdown at the worst time.
Chelsea have named their starting XI for tonight’s match.
The team is: Musovic, Nouwen, Ingle, Reiten, Kirby,Perisset, Fleming, Kerr, Charles, Buchanan, Cankovic.
I will have a search around Fife Vllaznia’s news now!
Preamble
Welcome back to our coverage of the Women’s Champions League! Tonight we have Vllaznia and Chelsea. Can Chelsea deal a huge blow as they did the last time the two met? Or can the underdogs win?
Last time the two faced each other was in this competition where Chelsea won 8-0. In that match Sam Kerr became the first woman to score four goals in the group stage in the tournament. Can the Australian reach the same heights? She is named in Chelsea’s team so she could.
The team news is out so stay tuned ahead of kick-off at 5.45pm!