Chelsea Women 4-1 Paris FC: Sam Kerr nets hat-trick to score first Champions League win

Sam Kerr’s impressive hat-trick gave Chelsea their first Champions League victory this season in a 4-1 win over Paris FC on Thursday at Stamford Bridge.  

Kerr’s first goal came in the 31^st minute when Lauren James received the ball on the right wing, the England international cut inside and curled the ball across the box to the back post and Kerr was there to stab it into the goal.  

Just minutes into the second half Kerr scored again in similar circumstances. Half time substitute Fran Kirby played the ball out wide to Johanna Rytting Kaneryd who whipped the ball across the face of goal and Kerr was waiting at the back post to tap it in. 

But her third was the pick of the bunch. The Australian collected a long ball from Ann-Katrin Berger just outside the penalty area and expertly lifted it up and over Chiamaka Nnadozie, but despite the keeper’s best efforts to claw the ball away, it dipped just under the crossbar to make it 3-1 in the 55^th minute.  

“Kerr is unbelievable to be honest. The fact she can score like she did with the third goal, it’s incredible, only she could do that and I told her after the game. She’s done it before and she will do it again, it’s just amazing to play with her,” Kaneryd told The River, after she registered an assist for the Australian’s second goal.

Substitute Sophie Ingle bagged Chelsea’s final goal in the 91^st minute when she met Eve Perisset’s low corner and managed to drive the ball into the bottom left corner.  

“It’s great to be able to go to the bench and get experience in, in particular with Sophie coming in. I think she brought a calm and composed impact that we needed,” said Chelsea manager Emma Hayes.

Paris FC’s equaliser came just before half time when Gaetane Thiney floated a corner into the box and Thea Greboval rose the highest to meet it, her header looped over Berger and Jess Carter into the Chelsea goal. 

Chelsea now sit second in the table behind their next opponents BK Hacken, who surprisingly beat Real Madrid earlier in the night.

“I didn’t know about Hacken’s win before the game, so I wasn’t focusing on that. But that’s a good thing, that’s my old team so I’m not surprised actually,” Kaneryd told The River.

This result leaves Paris FC at the bottom of Group D without a win. They next take on Real Madrid in December, who are also yet to take home three points.