November 23, (THEWILL) – A stunning hat-trick from star striker, Sam Kerr, propelled Chelsea Women to a vital 4-1 home victory over Chiamaka Nnadozie’s Paris FC in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday night. The Australian ace netted a first half opener before Paris equalised, but two clinical finishes after the break secured maximum points for the Blues.
The Londoners headed into the crunch European clash aiming to reignite their continental campaign after a frustrating 2-2 away draw with Real Madrid last week. Manager, Emma Hayes, demanded a reaction from her squad, especially given their dominant home record in UCL group stage matches over recent seasons.
Hayes made two changes from the weekend win over Liverpool, handing rare starts to defenders, Kadeisha Buchanan and Lauren James. Together with Niamh Charles, they formed a solid back wall, while hat-trick hero, Kerr, capitalised on superb approach play to fire Chelsea ahead on 27 minutes. The visitors responded well and equalised through Théa Greboval’s looping header just before the interval.
However, a ruthless second half showing from Kerr put the game beyond doubt – the Matildas captain netting two instinctive close-range efforts within seven minutes to complete her treble. A late Sophie Ingle strike wrapped up an ultimately comfortable 4-1 success.
The three points lift Chelsea up to second spot in Group D as attention turns to December’s crucial double header with Swedish outfit BK Häcken, the current pool leaders. If Kerr can maintain this prolific form, few would bet against the Blues qualifying for the knockout stages while it may soon be over for Nnadozie’s side which is rock bottom of Group D after matchday two.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
