Baltimore penalty rescues Chelsea draw at Twente

Chelsea have not lost a match before the Champions League knockout stages since 2021-22

Sandy Baltimore scored a penalty as Chelsea came from behind to rescue a draw against Dutch champions Twente in their Women's Champions League opener.

Sonia Bompastor's side put nine goals past their Dutch counterparts over two meetings in last season's group stage but, despite dominating proceedings at De Grolsch Veste, they found themselves trailing following Danique van Ginkel's 63rd-minute strike.

However, the Blues, featuring seven changes from the side which drew 1-1 with Manchester United on Friday, hit back eight minutes later to avoid suffering their first defeat in all competitions since April.

Chelsea were frustrated throughout the first half, failing to make their 68% possession pay and lacking quality in the final third.

It was Twente who had the best chance to open the scoring in the 11th minute, Leonie Vliek opting to square the ball to Jaimy Ravensbergen instead of taking a shot after Chelsea were cut open at the back.

After the break, Chelsea's Alyssa Thompson had a close-range strike ruled out for offside before Twente skipper Van Ginkel gave her side an unexpected lead, picking up the ball on the edge of the box and bending it around Millie Bright and into the top corner.

However, their lead was short-lived, with Lynn Groenewegen's trip on Guro Reiten resulting in a penalty, which Baltimore buried into the bottom left corner to spare Chelsea's blushes.

Chelsea analysis: Squad players fail to seize opportunity

Van Ginkel scored for Twente in the third round of qualifying

When Chelsea's teamsheet was released a little over an hour before kick-off, it was Livia Peng's inclusion in goal, in place of Hannah Hampton, which caught the eye.

But following an underwhelming draw, all of the talk will be about Bompastor's attacking changes.

Aggie Beever-Jones was the only midfield or forward player retained from Friday's match against Manchester United, with Oriane Jean-Francois, Maika Hamano, Sjoeke Nusken, Thompson, and Reiten coming into the XI.

Catarina Macario's absence was enforced - the America international has an inflamed Achilles - but the other changes were a managerial choice: to rest players and give others game time.

It's a luxury a team with Chelsea's quality squad depth can usually afford but, on this occasion, the changes resulted in a disjointed performance.

There were bright sparks. Reiten was a nuisance down the left wing and made a number of darts into the box in the first half, when she was unlucky to find crosses sent in just over her head.

Thompson's pace, meanwhile, caused frequent problems for Alieke Tuin and her overlapping play with defender Ellie Carpenter produced several positive moves down the right flank.

But the statistics speak for themselves. Chelsea had 64% possession throughout the match - 78% in the final 15 minutes of the first half - and peppered Diede Lemey's goal with 20 shots. However, only six of those were on target and there was frequently no-one in the box to attack the crosses provided by Thompson and Carpenter.

In short, they lacked awareness and a clinical touch in the final third.

With their performance improving with the introduction of the substitutes, most notably Wieke Kaptein and Erin Cuthbert shortly before the hour mark, it was an opportunity missed for several players to stake their claim for a regular starting spot.

As for the team and Bompastor, it was an opportunity missed to emulate Barcelona's commanding victory over Bayern Munich and begin their quest for a maiden title with a statement win.

What's next for these teams?

Chelsea return to Women's Super League action on Sunday when they host Tottenham (12:00 BST) while their next Women's Champions League outing is a home fixture against Paris FC on 15 October (20:00 BST).

Twente are at home to Utrecht in the Eredivisie on 12 October before travelling to OH Leuven three days later for their second Champions League outing of the season.

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