Chelsea Women wrapped up their pre-season in emphatic fashion, thrashing Dutch club Feyenoord 9-0 in Sonia Bompastor’s first game at Kingsmeadow. It was a perfect day for the home side, with five players making their home debuts and delivering a commanding performance. The only blemish on an otherwise outstanding day were the injuries to Sophie Ingle and Niamh Charles, but Chelsea showed their intent and form ahead of the new season.

The match got off to a flying start, with Chelsea taking control from the opening whistle. Within just eight minutes, the Blues were already two goals up, courtesy of sharp finishes from Sandy Baltimore and Mayra Ramirez. By halftime, the score had doubled, with Sjoeke Nusken’s stunning strike into the top corner and Wieke Kaptein’s close-range effort sending Chelsea into the break with a 4-0 lead.

The second half continued in the same vein as Millie Bright headed in from a corner to make it 5-0. Chelsea’s substitutes then took over, with Maika Hamano setting up Aggie Beever-Jones before scoring herself. Beever-Jones would go on to complete a 27-minute hat-trick, adding two more goals in the dying minutes to cap off a dominant performance.

The early pressure from Chelsea set the tone for the match, and it didn’t take long for the breakthrough to come. Baltimore, making her home debut, timed her run perfectly to beat the offside trap and poke the ball past the onrushing Feyenoord goalkeeper. Feyenoord barely had time to regroup before Ramirez doubled Chelsea’s lead, showcasing her persistence as she won the ball back and slotted it coolly into the bottom corner.

Feyenoord struggled to handle Chelsea’s relentless attacks, especially down the left flank where Lauren James and Niamh Charles were causing havoc. The Dutch side’s day went from bad to worse when Celainy Obispo was sent off for a second booking within seconds, although a pre-arranged agreement allowed Feyenoord to maintain 11 players on the field.

Moments later, Nusken capitalized on a poor clearance with a sublime looping finish from just outside the box. There was a brief scare for Chelsea when Feyenoord’s Romee van de Lavoir attempted an audacious lob from halfway, but goalkeeper Zećira Musovic was alert to tip it over.

Charles was forced off with a shoulder injury shortly before halftime, but there was still time for one more goal before the break, as Wieke Kaptein scored her first for the club following a cutback from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.

Chelsea continued their dominance in the second half, with Millie Bright adding a fifth goal after timing her run perfectly to glance a header home. Despite losing Ingle to injury, the Blues showed no signs of slowing down. Aggie Beever-Jones made an instant impact off the bench, heading in a free-kick from Hamano, who then added her name to the scoresheet with a low drive into the corner. Beever-Jones completed the rout with two more goals in the final minutes, ensuring Chelsea finished their pre-season in style.

Looking Ahead

Chelsea’s attention now turns to the Women’s Super League, which kicks off in two weeks. The Blues will return to Kingsmeadow to face Aston Villa on Friday, 20 September, at 7 pm.

Team Lineups:

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Musovic; Bronze, Bright (c) (Mpome 74), Buchanan (Bjorn 63), Charles (Lawrence 45); Nusken, Kaptein (Ingle h-t) (Perisset 74); Rytting Kaneryd (Hamano 63), Baltimore (Bernabe 74), James (Reiten 63); Ramirez (Beever-Jones 63)
Unused sub: Hampton
Scorers: Baltimore 5, Ramirez 8, Nusken 32, Kaptein 45+3, Bright 62, Beever-Jones 75, 85, 90+2, Hamano 77

Feyenoord (4-4-2): Szymczak; Koga (Mulder 66), Verspaget, Obispo (Van Bentem 30), Brandau (Heij h-t); Van de Lavoir (Braun 66), Waldus (c) (Lont 66), Teulings (Baubadi 66), De Graaf (Oudejans 66); Conijnenberg (Balkhir 66), Van Kerkhoven (Koopmans h-t)
Unused sub: Weimer, Eijk
Booked: Obispo 28
Sent off: Obispo 29

Chelsea’s impressive victory underlines their readiness for the upcoming season, and the fans will be eagerly anticipating more of the same when competitive action begins.