08 August 2026
The Women's First Team progressed to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Women's Champions League with a 3-1 win over Hammarby in Biella.
Remina Chiba scored twice in extra time to secure the victory, with Alba Redondo scoring earlier in the match. Coach Isaac Guerrero, Barbara Bonansea and Eva Schatzer spoke after the match.
ISAAC GUERRERO
“I’m very proud of this team, who gave it their all right from the start. These girls are an inspiration, from number one to number twenty-five and from number twenty-five back to number one. Today we faced a very strong opponent, in the height of their season, who started the match with incredible pressure and intensity, but we managed to hold our own through our own style of play. Above all, I’m proud of these girls’ courage, which is boundless: all the credit goes to them. We’re aware that we still need to improve, but compared to our first friendlies we’ve made great strides, becoming more efficient in our passing and ball control. Our aim is to get deep into the opposition’s half, and, little by little, we’re managing to do just that. In football, taking the initiative is always more difficult, but this team tries to do just that. We don’t always manage to impose our game plan, as happened at times against Torreense and at the start of this match, but when you truly believe in an idea and a direction, you have to keep following them.
"This week we’ve talked a lot about loving what we do and the need to stick to our game plan. We know it’s not a foolproof plan: we might win, draw or lose, but we must stay true to what we believe in. Today, after a very difficult start, the girls got back to our principles, realising that the best way to defend was to win the ball back, keep possession, play one more pass and draw the opposition out of position. I really liked that kind of resilience. The substitutes were also crucial. For me, the players who finish a match are just as important as those who start it. We have plenty of options and everyone is involved; over the course of such a long season, we’ll need them all. Chiba is settling in brilliantly. She’s an extremely intelligent player, has great technical ability and the ability to change the tempo, and can help us both on the wing and in central midfield. The team has welcomed her and all the new signings with open arms, and I’m delighted to see such a united group. Today, Chiba also began to reap the rewards of her hard work.
"As far as the squad is concerned, I’m very pleased with the players I have at my disposal. We’ve just beaten a team that’s doing very well in Europe, is top of its league and is already halfway through the season, whereas we had to play these matches at the start of August. The transfer window is still open for a while and we’ll see what happens, but today I can’t help but be very happy with this team."
BARBARA BONANSEA
“The coach had asked us to put our heart into what we do and, when things get tough, to put even more into it: I think that’s exactly what we did. After conceding the goal, we stepped up a gear, equalised and, with a bit more precision, we could have wrapped up the match sooner. What we’ve been building over this first month was clear to see: we kept playing, kept moving and remained confident in what we were doing, knowing that sooner or later the goal would come. And it did come, with a brilliant goal from Chiba, but I think it was above all down to a team that believed in itself and defended with everything it had. Even those coming off the bench must be ready to read the game and bring something different to the team. That’s what happened today, and Noordman, for example, came on with me and had a brilliant game.
"We’re enjoying ourselves and I think that shows from the outside. We believe in the coach's approach and that makes all the difference. It hasn’t been difficult to adapt to the new way of playing football because both those who were already here and the new signings have given their all. We’ve changed a lot, but we’ve already built a great team and without that we probably wouldn’t have won such a tough match against a side in the thick of their season. To manage to secure a win like this after just 25 or 26 training sessions means a great deal. We still need to improve in many areas, particularly in developing our play further up the pitch and not just in our own half, but I didn’t think we’d already show this level of confidence and character at this stage. We’re all very happy.”
EVA SCHATZER
“It’s a slightly different style of play compared to last year and, personally, I’m really enjoying it because I love having the ball and playing it around. I get on really well with Julia [Bartel] – you can tell she’s played for top clubs – but also with all the other midfielders. We’ve taken the coach's ideas on board straight away and, if we carry on like this, we can achieve great results. We knew that Hammarby would come into this match in excellent physical condition, being in the thick of their league campaign, and that they’d be particularly strong from set pieces. We, however, stuck to our game plan: we wanted to keep the ball a lot, impose our style of play without rushing, and defend through possession as well. They put us under a lot of pressure at the start, but we held firm and always tried to stick to our game plan.
"The coach asks us to wait for the right moment, playing lots of short passes without forcing the issue when we’re under pressure, and then looking to play the ball forward when space opens up. It’s something that will come more and more with time: in our first friendlies we found it harder to build up play, whereas now we’re gradually adding more verticality and attacking play. Progressing in the Champions League was one of our objectives and this victory is very important. We’ve prepared well this month, establishing a clear identity right from the start. Having so many matches means everyone can play a key role, it strengthens the team spirit and helps us improve by continuing to play.”
