The Blues had to come from behind to get the job done though with Caroline Weir putting the home side ahead after only seven minutes, before a second-half Macario brace from the penalty spot put Bompastor's side 2-1 up by the 56th minute.

The victory means we finish this stage of the competition sitting top of the group and will enter February's quarter-final draw as one of the four seeded teams. We also extend our unbeaten run under Bompastor to 16 games across all competitions.

Our head coach was delighted to claim the win and three points in our final game of 2024, but highlighted a performance in the Spanish capital which she believes reflected a busy schedule.

'I'm really pleased with the result,' Bompastor said in her post-match press conference. 'We said we wanted to finish at the top of the table and I think that was really important for us mentally.

'In terms of performance, the first half was a bit difficult. We have played four games in December, the players are just so exhausted. It's too much for them mentally and physically. When you have this squad, you need to realise these are all international players that have been travelling to so many games.

'Even if sometimes you really want to achieve something, it can be difficult because you don't have the energy anymore. We tried to do our best.

'It was not enough in the first half and I was not happy at half-time. We spoke together and I said that we needed to be on the same page, that we had 45 minutes to achieve our goal and afterwards they would be on vacation, so to give everything they had and to make sure we had the right intentions.

'Catarina Macario also helped a lot. She just changed the game and showed tonight that she is a world-class player.'

Bompastor continued: 'I would like us to be able to win and play a good style of football, but sometimes you need to realise that it is never easy. I told my players it's never easy and to just make sure we put all the right intentions in the game to make sure you succeed.

'We would like to do a better performance, but sometimes it does not happen. We just need to be focused on the result tonight. The most important thing was the result.'

After entering the pitch as a substitute at half-time, forward Macario made an immediate impact. She had a goal chalked off for offside inside a minute, before scoring twice from the 12-yard spot inside a five-minute period.

'I'm really pleased with her performance,' Bompastor added. 'I know Catarina really well and I know her potential. I know what she can bring to the team.

'She's still in a process where she's building her fitness because she has been struggling a little bit because she had a knee injury and since then it hasn't been easy. We're working with the performance staff to make sure we build up her fitness, for her to be able to play more and more minutes, and to show her best level.

'For the 45 minutes she played tonight, this is what we expect from her, but we also need to help her get back to her best fitness.'

You can register your interest for our Champions League quarter-final match at Stamford Bridge here! We will find out our opponents on 7 February, with the two-legged fixture set to be played in March.