Chelsea 9-0 Feyenoord
By Ruby Vince 7/9/24
Above: Kingsmeadow-ready to welcome Chelsea fans back after the summer break. Photo: Chelseafcw on X
Feyenoord are a Dutch football club from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The team finished 5th in the 2023–24 Eredivisie Vrouwen season.
Why were Chelsea so successful in today’s game?
Chelsea applied high pressure from the start, with quick goals in the 4th and 7th minutes by Sandy Baltimore and Mayra Ramirez, which put Feyenoord on the back foot. These early strikes were a result of direct play and exploiting the space behind Feyenoord’s defence, forcing their backline into rushed decisions.
Chelsea effectively targeted Feyenoord’s defensive letdowns, especially after Celainy Obispo’s red card in the 27th minute. The red card left Feyenoord with 10 players; however, Sonia Bompastor agreed to let Feyenoord sub on a player to continue with 11 players. However, Chelsea’s tactical adjustment was to widen the pitch and stretch their opponents, making it harder for Feyenoord to cover defensive gaps.
Players like Lauren James and Ashley Lawrence provided width, with Millie Bright and Ramirez making key central runs. Chelsea capitalised on their pace and technical superiority, delivering dangerous crosses and pulling Feyenoord’s defensive line out of shape. Chelsea scored key goals from set-pieces, including Bright’s goal from a corner (60’), which showcased their aerial dominance. Feyenoord struggled to defend dead-ball situations, allowing Chelsea to take shots both off and on target.
Chelsea used their substitutes effectively, with players like Maika Hamano and Aggie Beever-Jones coming off the bench to further punish Feyenoord’s tired defence. Beever-Jones’ 27-minute hat-trick demonstrated Chelsea’s depth and their ability to maintain intensity even with fresh legs on the pitch.
Aggie Beever Jones’ Influence:
Beever-Jones, who scored a hat-trick, was highly influential in exploiting Feyenoord’s weakened defence, especially in the second half. Coming off the bench, she brought energy and sharp finishing, making diagonal runs into the box and positioning herself perfectly to capitalise on loose balls and defensive errors.
ABJ was smart in her movement, staying on the shoulder of the last defender and timing her runs to perfection. Feyenoord’s defence, already under pressure, was unable to coordinate an effective offside trap, allowing Beever-Jones to break through multiple times (notably for her second and third goals). Her ability to finish decisively in front of the goal, especially from the free kick in the 74th minute, and in open play meant that Feyenoord’s defence couldn’t recover in time to prevent her from scoring.
What Could Feyenoord Have Done?
Feyenoord needed to adopt a more compact defensive structure to limit space for Chelsea’s attackers. They struggled to reorganise quickly, and Chelsea exploited this with relentless wide play. The defence could have been more aggressive in marking Beever-Jones tightly, cutting off her runs earlier, and not allowing her to face goal so easily. Dropping the defensive line slightly deeper to prevent Chelsea from playing balls over the top might have helped mitigate Beever-Jones’ pace and off-the-ball movement.
In addition to defensive adjustments, Feyenoord could have worked harder to control possession in midfield and slow the game down, reducing Chelsea’s opportunities to counterattack. Chelsea’s midfield, led by Nusken, controlled the tempo, and Feyenoord couldn’t match their intensity.
Chelsea are back at Kingsmeadow for the start of the Women’s Super League when they host Aston Villa at 7pm on 20th September.
Teams: CHELSEA (4-3-2-1): Musovic (GK), Bronze, Bright (C), Buchanan, Charles, Nusken, Kaptein, Baltimore, James, Kaneryd, Ramirez. Substitutes: Hampton (GK), Cox (GK), Ingle, Reiten, Lawrence, Bjorn, Perisset, Hamano, Mpome, Bernabe, Beever-Jones
Scorers: Baltimore 5’, Ramirez 8’, Nusken 32’, Kaptein 45+3’, Bright 62’, Beever-Jones 75’, 85’, 90+2’, Hamano 77’
FEYENOORD (4-4-2): Szymsczak, Waldus, Verspaget, Obispo, Brandau, Teulings, de Graaf,
Koga, Conijnenberg, van de Lavoir, Kerkhoven. Substitutes: Weimar, Eikk, Koopmans, Heji, van Bentem, Mulder, Lont, Oudejans, Baubadi, Balkhir, Braun
Referee: Emily Heaslip
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