Chelsea manager Emma Hayes says that tonight’s goalless draw with Juventus in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage was a case of a point gained for her side.
The Blues were dominant throughout at Kingsmeadow but were denied a winning goal by a combination of dogged defending, Juventus goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and the woodwork.
When speaking in the post-match press conference in which FAWSL Full-Time were present, Hayes said that she is taking the positives out of the game.
“She (Peyraud-Magnin) was their best player, they had eight or nine bodies in their penalty box most of the game,” Hayes said. “It is really difficult sometimes and you just need one of those (chances) to go in.
“It is a point gained, it is another clean sheet and it is about qualifying from the group, that’s the priority.”
Hayes spoke ahead of the match about how Juventus would come to Kingsmeadow and play for a point. That is exactly what happened with the Italians frustrating her side, although the Chelsea boss admitted that the timing of the game was not great for her side.
Commenting on the contest, Hayes added “I think that the game played out exactly as I thought it would. I think to play a game of this magnitude so soon after the FA Cup final is tough.
“I am extremely proud of the players. I think they pushed for goals, we looked a little tired in the forward areas but that is to be expected.
“We got a point, we are in the driving seat, we go into the last game in the position that we want to be in and like I said, I am really, really proud of my players.”
Chelsea’s final UEFA Women’s Champions League group match against VfL Wolfsburg takes place in Germany next Thursday.
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