Catarina Macario came off the bench to score two penalties as Chelsea came from behind to beat Real Madrid 2-1 and win Group B in the Women’s Champions League.
After failing to defeat Leicester City in the Women’s Super League for the first time under Sonia Bompastor on Saturday, Chelsea were on course for their first defeat under the former Lyon coach when they trailed after seven minutes.
Scotland’s Caroline Weir saw her shot deflected off Lucy Bronze, giving Real hope of leveling the Blues on 15 points, at which point their head-to-head record would have split the two teams.
In response, Bompastor introduced Macario as a replacement for the ineffective Mayra Ramirez at half-time and was almost immediately rewarded when the substitute saw that the would-be striker had been ruled offside.
Macario was then beaten by the Spanish heroine of the 2023 World Cup final, Olga Carmona, after the first penalty kick in the 51st minute, which she converted to make it 1-1.
Carmona’s situation worsened five minutes later when she converted a shot by Wieke Kaptein and Macario sent his second spot-kick high into the net.
Chelsea’s sixth win in six Champions League matches guarantees them a place in the quarter-finals as winners of Group B. They will face the group runners-up in the last eight in March.
Chelsea secured top spot in Group B, while Twente finished with a comfortable home victory. #UWCL pic.twitter.com/clttECw8oq
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) December 17, 2024
Elsewhere in Group B, Celtic ended the campaign with zero points, having been beaten 3-0 by Dutch side Twente.
Kayleigh van Dooren put the hosts ahead after 20 minutes, with own goals from Lisa Rodgers and Natalie Ross completing the scoring before the break, as third-placed Twente claimed victory.
