Elena Sadiku has shared her thoughts after Celtic FC Women ended up suffering a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the UEFA Women’s Champions League at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening.
Despite positive elements within their performance, goals from Lucy Bronze, Wieke Kaptein and Eve Perisset were enough to steer the Blues into the quarter-final of the competition.
Unfortunately, the result means Celtic won’t progress from their group consisting of Chelsea, Twente and Real Madrid. However, their Champions League experience will become a valuable learning curve for the Ghirls.
Now, Elena Sadiku will rally the troops for a pivotal clash against Montrose Ladies on Sunday as they look to close the gap on league leaders Glasgow City.
Speaking after the clash, she has shared her outlook on events in West London on a night where it just wasn’t to be for her side.
Elena Sadiku on Celtic’s defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Providing her observation of the Ghirls’ defeat to Chelsea, Sadiku admitted her overriding feelings were a mix of pride and frustration at a display containing encouraging and avoidable elements.
She stated: “I think in the first half we defended okay; I think we were too passive and too soft in challenges. I didn’t think we had too much energy or pressure.
Not only pressure but I felt like there was too few players that wanted to be that extra, you know, but otherwise, in the second half, we came out with more energy, we were more brave, not as passive. We tried to go into pressure and I think the most frustrating thing tonight as we concede three goals from set plays.”
Sadiku continued, praising her squad for their desire to keep going despite the deficit: “That’s something I’m very proud of. Obviously, they (Chelsea) scored very early in the game, but they kept going and that’s what we said before the game as well.
“No matter what, we stick together, we keep trying and that’s something I’m really proud of because it can also go the opposite way. Proud f the effort and proud of the way we were really trying, Chelsea is an amazing team, but yeah, just frustrated that we concede three goals from set plays.”
Rod Stewart pays Celtic FC Women a post-match visit
Although some supporters will be aware already, Rod Stewart paid Celtic FC Women a visit at full-time, showing his support for the Ghirls during a campaign that will go down in the history books.
After a frustrating defeat, there are unresolved feelings that take time to overcome, but the spirit is well and truly alive among this group of players as they eye further success.
Hopefully, a response against Montrose on Sunday can help to kickstart a run of results. Real Madrid and Twente are still to come at Europe’s top table, so hopefully, the Ghirls can put some points on the board before the conclusion of the group stage.
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