Malard’s Dream Debut Leads Chelsea to 5-2 Champions League Victory
Melvine Malard needed 12 minutes to turn a tight European tie into her own personal statement.
The France forward, a summer signing from Manchester United for about £850,000, came off the bench with Chelsea locked at 2-2 against Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round – and promptly ripped the game away from the visitors in a ruthless 5-2 win at Cherry Red Records Stadium.
She didn’t ease herself in. She attacked it.
Fed by Sjoeke Nüsken just after the hour, Malard burst through, rounded goalkeeper Julia Arrula with composure and rolled the ball into an empty net to restore Chelsea’s lead. It was the kind of finish that makes a fee look like a bargain.
And she wasn’t done.
With two minutes of normal time remaining, full-back Ellie Carpenter drove down the right and fizzed a low cross into the six-yard box. Malard had timed her run perfectly, arriving to tap home her second of the night and Chelsea’s fifth, sealing a commanding advantage to take to Spain.
From 2-2 to 5-2, the debutant sat right at the heart of Chelsea’s surge.
Early Shock, Swift Response
Sonia Bompastor’s first competitive game in charge of Chelsea started with a jolt.
Seven minutes in, Ainhoa Marín silenced the home crowd, cutting in and whipping a superb effort from the edge of the box into the top corner. Real Sociedad, sharp and brave in possession, had landed the first blow of the season on the eight-time Women’s Super League champions.
Chelsea needed a foothold. Their captain provided it.
On the half-hour, Naomi Girma rose to meet a corner from another new arrival, Katie McCabe, and powered her header home. McCabe, signed after leaving Arsenal, delivered with the kind of set-piece quality Chelsea will expect to see all year; Girma did the rest.
The goal settled the hosts. They started to pin Sociedad back, forcing mistakes, forcing corners. The pressure told again early in the second half.
Lauren James swung in another dangerous delivery and Dutch defender Veerle Buurman attacked it, thumping her header past Arrula to put Chelsea 2-1 up. From a goal down to in front, all via dead balls and new faces. Bompastor’s rebuild already looked sharp.
But the Spanish side refused to fold.
Cecilia Marcos struck to level the tie at 2-2, punishing Chelsea just as they seemed to be taking control. The contest opened up, chances appearing at both ends. For a spell, it felt like one of those European nights that could drift away from a favourite.
That’s when Malard arrived.
New Era, New Ground, Familiar Ambition
Malard’s double sandwiched a goal from James, who got the reward her performance deserved as Chelsea finally turned their dominance into a scoreline to match. By the final whistle, the early scare felt distant, replaced by the sense of a side already finding new gears under Bompastor.
The second leg in Spain comes on Wednesday, 2 September (18:00 BST), with Chelsea carrying a three-goal cushion and a clear view of the league phase of the Champions League.
This season brings a different backdrop for that ambition. Chelsea will stage their home domestic cup and European league-phase fixtures at Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium, while all WSL home matches move to Stamford Bridge.
New manager. New signings. New homes.
If Malard’s first night in blue is any indication, the standards – and the expectations – remain exactly the same.
