Is Naomi Girma suffering from a beginner’s curse? In her debut game for Chelsea, the USWNT defender picked up an injury within an hour of play. That setback kept her out of contention for several weeks, making it seem as if the universe had pressed pause—until yesterday, when she finally returned to make her UEFA Women’s Champions League debut in the semifinal opener against Barcelona. That, too, unfortunately, ended in the worst possible way, as the Blues were thrashed 4-1. While much of the backlash over the defeat was directed at Girma, others quickly came to her defense.

Hosting the first leg at their Estadi Johan Cruyff, it was more than just the home advantage that favored Barcelona. Within 12 minutes, they had a chance to take the lead after winning a penalty. However, Alexia Putellas missed it, only to make up for it by assisting Ewa Pajor’s goal in the 35th minute. While that proved to be the only threat of the first half, the second had more problems waiting for them!

After a couple of changes from either side post-break, Claudia Pina doubled the Catalans’ lead in the 70th minute. However, it seemed Chelsea weren’t ready to back down, having scored their first of the evening, thanks to Sandy Baltimore. That only motivated Sonia Bompastor to unleash her fresh and quite expensive chess piece a few minutes later, as Girma made her official UWCL debut.

Unfortunately, Barcelona snatched the USWNT star’s moment away from her within a minute and went on to crush the away team’s hopes of a comeback, as Irene Paredes fired in the third goal to make it 3-1. Barcelona didn’t stop there — they kept the goal fiesta alive until the final whistle, with Claudia Pina adding another to seal the night.

While one might assume the responsibility for the defeat should fall on the entire Chelsea squad, their fanbase seemed to think otherwise, singling out Naomi Girma for special blame. However, it appears the other side of the debate was quick to step in, as the former San Diego Wave star’s ardent supporters rallied to defend her against the wave of criticism surrounding their favorite player.

Soccer world separates over unfortunate UWCL debut of Naomi Girma

When the going gets tough, the crowd gets going. Quite the adage and more importantly, apt to Naomi Girma’s situation. Just months have passed since the star player arrived in England, but things only seem to have gone south for her. First, the WSL debut, and now the UWCL one—will the 24-year-old catch a break? The X surely didn’t let her!

The biggest unfortunate factor is that even though Sonia Bompastor decided to send Girma in to make the backline strong, her arrival only ended up seeing them conceding two more, something which, this fan finds completely unacceptable: “Well, I have to say, much as I love her, that was a disastrous debut for Naomi Girma. Comes on to lock the 2-1 down in the final minutes and Chelsea immediately ship 2 more goals and lose the tie.”

Imagine being the most expensive signing in the history of women’s soccer, only to get battered later by fans after just your second appearance. Life does come at you quite fast, doesn’t it? For now, this fan decided to take another subtle dig at the defender’s transfer fee: “All the things you could do with one million of Donald Trump’s finest United States Dollars and you spend them on Naomi Girma.”

The debate is simple: 2 matches, 70 minutes, 4 goals conceded, 0 tackles won — but a whopping $1,000,000 spent. Clearly, Chelsea fans are expecting more from Girma, and to some extent, they aren’t wrong. Then again, given how challenging this start has been for the center-back, she deserves a bit of slack. No wonder this X user felt the need to remind everyone of the adversities she has been facing:

“Naomi Girma is one of the most universally liked individuals to ever wear the US crest. Never heard anyone say anything bad about her here so the fact that after 2 performances in Europe coming back from injuries she’s been met with such vitriol is wild to me”

Another X user insisted that the 2024 US Player of the Year shouldn’t shoulder all the blame, pointing out that not only was she brought in late, but her teammates also failed to deliver as expected:

“Y’all mad at NAOMI GIRMA because someone else on the team lost their mark and didn’t even try to recover ??? She can’t do everyone’s job and was subbed on late, so f— off with that bs” Similar feeling were expressed by another fan who wrote:

“Can’t believe we’re living in a world where Naomi Girma is hated on… truly the worst timeline”

It’s almost as if the moment the ink dried on her contract, so did the patience of Chelsea fans. To recall, Girma arrived injured from the States. After she finally got her debut, the injury somehow resurfaced, keeping her out again. So, this fan thinks that people are criticizing Girma just for the sake of it.

“Naomi Girma hate is FORCED, idc how she played, it’s probably her club fault.”

As if the fans’ negative feedback wasn’t enough, Sonia Bompastor’s post-match comment about the Girma/ Bjorn sub before the corner Barca made it 3-1 have perhaps made things worse for her. For context, the French tactician said, “I don’t think the substitution had an impact on the goal we conceded. I think Naomi knew exactly where she had to go and I think everyone knew their role in that.”

However, it seems her ardent fans are stepping up to remind Emma Hayes’ “best defender” of what she truly deserves:

“Naomi Girma deserves so much more than Chelsea and the annoying fans💔 I’m with you my goat.”

This is just a glimpse of what unfolded, as many either came out in support of Girma or went completely against her. Either way, it’s hard to imagine she’s feeling good about the situation and can only hope that things improve for her from here. Otherwise, she could find herself in deep trouble.

Regardless, share your thoughts in the comments!