Chelsea Ladies will face a tough task to reach the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League after losing the first leg of their round of 16 encounter at home to Wolfsburg.
The German side were 2-1 winners at Staines Town’s Wheatsheaf Park ground on a night when both teams scored own goals, and will now be firm favourites to progress with the second leg in Germany next Wednesday.
Emma Hayes’s Chelsea side, who had beaten the Scottish champions Glasgow City 4-0 on aggregate in the previous round in October in their first foray in this competition, were given hope when the visiting defender Babett Peter sent a looping header over her own goalkeeper, Merle Frohms, to gift the Women’s Super League champions a 54th-minute equaliser.
The opening goal of the night had also been an own goal after Lena Goessling’s free-kick had been headed goalwards by the Wolfsburg captain, Nilla Fischer, and the ball deflected into the Chelsea net off the unfortunate England left-back Claire Rafferty.
The visitors, who have lifted this trophy twice in the last three years, faltered briefly and the England forward Fran Kirby had a chance to put Chelsea ahead only to curl her finish just wide after being found in space inside the Wolfsburg penalty area by Eni Aluko.
Wolfsburg were always dangerous though and had only been denied a second goal by a timely intervention from Chelsea’s Portuguese defender Ana Borges.
However, 12 minutes from time they scored the goal that ensured they will take what could prove a decisive lead back to Germany when the Norwegian substitute, Caroline Graham Hansen, cut in from the right flank and hit a low drive beyond the reach of the Chelsea goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl.
