The Blues went in at the break 1-0 down after the home side netted from a corner, but a brace from Malard plus a late penalty from substitute Baltimore secured a 3-1 win despite the initial setback.

Our head coach explained exactly how we reversed the deficit in tricky circumstances and gave insight into what she said at half-time to galvanise the side.

‘The weather was not helpful today,’ she said. ‘Especially for a team like us who like to play on the ground, it didn't help. We probably didn't create as much as I would have liked to in the first half.

‘The second half was a better performance. We played more with the wind, which helped a little bit as well. The quality of the players who came in was good again, and they brought the impact we needed to win the game.

‘We needed to stay confident in these moments. It's really important to stay calm, even if the result is not in our hands and the weather is not helpful. I knew in the second half we had enough quality to create and to score some goals.

‘The message was around adjusting some of the defensive aspects a little but also giving the players a lot of confidence with the ball. I wanted us to keep trying, because I knew we would have opportunities, and in those moments we were clinical.’

Malard would’ve scored a hat-trick had her third goal not been ruled offside on Sunday afternoon, and it was the number nine that won the penalty on 88 minutes. Baltimore created the assist for Malard’s second and converted the spot-kick at the end of the game, leaving Bompastor full of praise for her compatriots.

‘The French players showed up today, and it was really needed,’ the head coach continued. ‘I'm happy for them, especially Sandy. She hasn't had a lot of minutes recently, but that was the best answer she could give to me. Her performance was really good.

‘When you play a team that is sitting more in the low block, she brings a lot of quality on crosses, but also on the ball, and she can beat her opponent one-on-one. That was a big help today.

‘I wasn't expecting Melvine to score from distance like that. It's a banger, as you say here! She has the ability to create those goals. She's an important player for us and I'm glad for her that she scored a really difficult goal. She could have scored an easy one just before. It makes things even better for her, and scoring like that is always good for her confidence.'