Chelsea knock out Real Sociedad and end the Champions dream in Zubieta

Real Sociedad couldn’t keep the Champions League dream alive after the 5-2 loss in the first leg. At Zubieta, the Chelsea again set the pace and finished the tie with a 0-1 win, sending the txuri urdin side to Europe Cup.

Chelsea controlled the tie

As Mundo Deportivo reports, Chelsea were better “at every moment” across the two matches. The game-plan translated into sustained pressure, especially down the flank, where deliveries forced interventions from the home back line.

The decisive moment came with Walsh scoring in the 53rd minute (0-1). After an earlier chance where Arrula made a big stop, the subsequent sequence from a short corner eventually led to Walsh getting the shot off and beating the keeper to settle the score.

Real pushed, but couldn’t level

Real Sociedad tried to respond after their early difficulties and briefly found momentum. The paper also highlights a clear penalty shout that the referee Ivana Martincic (Croatia) did not award: Claudia Florentino arrived late and fouled Beever-Jones inside the box.

In the second half, the home side made changes, but the chances didn’t sharpen into clear openings. One of the closest moments came after a play that ended with pressure in the box, yet the follow-up couldn’t find the equaliser.

With the tie over, Chelsea book their place in the top European competition, while Real Sociedad will play the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup. As Mundo Deportivo notes, the draw for that tournament takes place “this coming Friday”.