The first week of the women's Champions League has started. The new league phase is well underway, with Barca proving that they can still do significant damage even with a limited squad. Arsenal continues to show its cracks and weaknesses, while Manchester United proves itself, as they were the only English side to win in the first week.
The opener of the new league was Juventus v Benfica. It ended 2-1 to the Italian side. Cecilia Salvai scored both of Juve's goals, including their late winner. The goalscorer said: “Honestly, I don't even know, everything is so crazy. I've never scored two goals in a match, but I'm proud of my team. We wanted to start with three points; starting with a win is always important, and we worked so much for this.”
Arsenal came into their game against Lyon after losing 3-2 to Manchester City and had much to prove. They are the holders of this trophy and beat Lyon last season 5-2 on aggregate, but they did lose the home leg. They started strong within the first seven minutes, scoring through Alessia Russo. However, Lyon grew into the game with a brace from Melchie Dumornay, giving Lyon the win after clear defensive errors for the Gunners. Renee Slegers said: “We are not happy… fine margins cost us tonight. We’ve gone through hard times before, and they always come back. I'm very confident this team will do that.”
Barcelona made their intention known after losing last season to Arsenal, which was a massive shock. They let the football talk after losing some players due to financial restraints. They beat Bayern Munich, who had a considerably harder run in the Champions League, 7-1. Goals for Barca came from Putellas, Pajor, Brugts, Paralluelo and Pina. At the same time, the German side's goal came from Buhl. The manager and players for the Spanish side said this performance was them making a statement. They provided intensity and learning from past mistakes.
The final game on the first day of Champions League action saw a 2-2 draw between Paris FC and OH Leuven. Paris struck early with Daphne Corboz netting in the 3rd minute, and they then extended their lead in the 23rd through Clara Mateo, who put her side ahead at halftime. However, the tournament debutants from Belgium returned to the game through Kim Everaerts and Sara Pusztai to level the score, leaving with a point a piece. Paris FC coach said: “Even if we are a bit disappointed by tonight’s result, we still walked away with a point.”
Chelsea came into this game against Twente as the likely winners, especially after meeting at this same point last season and winning 9-2 over the two legs. Chelsea came in as the favourite and wanted to win the one trophy that had eluded them all these years. They needed the three points as they faced Barcelona, the team they always fell to. But they just about scraped a 1-1 draw through a penalty. The issue was the last touch in the box; the passes were coming in, but there was no one on the ends of them. They went down first through a goal by Daniele van Ginkel, then got a penalty from a foul by Guro Reiten. However, there was a suggestion that they could have been another before on Erin Cuthert, and the commenters said that if she had made a bigger deal of the foul, she would have likely been awarded the penalty.
Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea manager, said: “ It’s not a good result at all. We wanted to start the campaign with three points. Out of possession, I am quite happy — even if we conceded a goal. In possession, when you play this game, you need to show more desire.”
Real Madrid won 6-2 against Roma. The first goal came in the 6th minute by Alba Redondo and set the tone. But Roma responded with an equaliser ten minutes later in a showcase. Caroline Wier scored the second goal, then Emilie Haavi scored a goal for the visitors to make it 2-2, but a minute later Redonodo made it 3-2. In the second half, Weir scored again, plus Kenza Dali and Eva Navarro for the home side. Real Madrid dominated the attack with a near-perfect performance. Weir praised the team's performance and desire to keep pushing for more and more goals. Madrid's head coach, Pau Quesada, expressed satisfaction with the team's aggressive and joyful play. He emphasised the importance of maintaining this momentum and highlighted the contributions of players like Linda Caicedo, who provided two assists before being substituted due to a minor injury.
Manchester United made a huge statement by winning against Valerenga at home in their first-ever Champions League game. They won 1-0 through a penalty taken by their captain, Maya Le Tissier, due to a handball by Arna Eiríksdóttir. Marc Skinner, Manchester United manager, on Maya Le Tissier: "You see how much it means to her playing with the big dogs.
"She's a great character with a real calmness to take that penalty. She's a rock for us, and it's fitting that she got the first goal.
"We need about nine to 12 points to get into that pack. Of course, we would like more, but we are playing some incredible teams, so it was important to get three points to start the campaign, especially at home.
"You've got to pick up points, even if you don't play well, but I thought we played well enough to deserve the points."
Atletico Madrid, another new team in the Champions League, won their first game of the league phase against St. Pölten 6-0. The goal scorers were Gio Garbelini, Andrea Medina, Luany, Vilde Boe Rosa and then two by Flammable Benitez. Atlético Madrid's head coach, José Luis Sánchez Vera, expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, highlighting the importance of starting the Champions League campaign with a decisive victory.
The final game of this week's women’s Champions League action was between Wolfsburg and PSG. The German side won 4-0 against the French side. The first goal came in the 7th minute, and Jackie Groenen scored an own goal to give Wolfsburg the lead. Just before halftime, Ella Peddemors doubled Wolfsburg's advantage with a precise right-footed shot from the centre of the box. In the 90th minute, Alexandra Popp made it a third through a well-executed team move. The German side also had a stoppage time goal through Janina Minge from a penalty awarded for a foul on Popp. Wolfsburg's head coach, Stephan Lerch, expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, highlighting their tactical discipline and clinical finishing. He emphasised the importance of maintaining this momentum in the upcoming fixtures.
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