Chelsea midfielder Wieke Kaptein has said that the team "could have kept the ball a little bit better" in their narrow 1-0 defeat of Austria Wien in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Speaking to ESPN on Disney+, Kaptein -- who scored the only goal of the game in the 11th minute -- said that she felt the Blues could have "punished" the Austrian side more after Chelsea weathered a storm late on from the visitors.
Modesta Uka hit the post with a superb effort towards the end of the match but the Austrians ultimately left Plough Lane empty-handed.
"I think we need to punish them more a little bit but, overall, we won and that's good -- now we need to focus on the next game," she told Disney+ post-match.
"The last 10 minutes were fighting but as a team we stick together. I think we can keep the ball a little bit more in these kind of games and let them run a little more.
"They [Austrian Wien] are not in the Champions League for nothing. Sometimes, they were really dangerous in our half. I think we need to look at ourselves."
Kaptein's goal was a stunner from outside the box that went in off the crossbar and she celebrated by joining her teammate Veerle Buurman in an acrobatic karate kick.
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USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson almost made it 2-0 for the hosts in the first half with an impressive solo effort but her shot crept just inches past the post.
It's been an excellent start to the season for Chelsea, who are unbeaten in the Women's Super League so far and have now won their opening UWCL game.
Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor said that she was unsurprised by the challenge that Austria Wien gave her side.
"Not surprised," Bompastor said about the strength of the opposition. "I've observed their games, their physicality was really showcased in the two games against Brann [in the qualifying rounds.] Tonight I put a really spirited team to start the game. We were expecting a tough game.
"The performance was not the one we wanted to have. We could have controlled the game a little bit better in terms of scoring the second goal, killing the opposition hope. But sometimes you have to take what is the most important, which tonight was to win."
"The physicality from those teams is good," Bompastor added. "The players are able to match the intensity of the Champions Leagues games from the beginning until the end.
"The coaches who are coaching are good in terms the tactical aspects. They are well prepared and they have a good game plan. Nothing is easy."
Chelsea welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Sunday in an early test of their WSL credentials.
They may do so without midfielder Kiera Walsh who was forced off injured in the first half, with Bompastor unsure whether the England international will be available.
"We were trying to be cautious with her," she said. "She felt a little bit of her quad. We'll assess her tomorrow and see if she's available for Sunday. It's too soon now.
"I think [the team] have enough time to recover for the game at the weekend, I'm not worried about that. We'll be coming with fresh legs and the game will be so different. We'll b
Information from the Press Association contributed to this report.