Women’s Champions League highlights and recap: Arsenal stun Lyon, wins for Barcelona, Bayern and Juventus | UEFA Women’s Champions League
The UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage got off to a stunning start as Arsenal won 5-1 against holders Lyon, while Barcelona, Bayern and Juventus also claimed victory.
UEFA.com summarizes all the action.
Click on any score to rewind all the action as it happened and watch the highlights from midnight CET.
Group C
Arsenal were previously dethroned as starters by then debutants Lyon in the 2007/08 quarter-finals, but this time it was the Gunners who stunned the defending champions. Never before have a team conceded five as starters in this competition, and Lyon have never done so in any competitive home game since FC Lyon became Olympique Lyonnais in 2004.
With Vivianne Miedema left out of Arsenal’s XI, Caitlin Foord got the opener, set up by Beth Mead. Frida Maanum made it two and although Melvine Malard pulled one back in the 27th minute, a superb free-kick from Mead just before half-time made it 3-1.
The fourth and fifth came in the space of three minutes midway through the second half as Foord and Mead both added to their previous goals. Lyon had never conceded four before in their 124th European game (and Arsenal’s 99th).
Two late goals were enough for Juventus to get off to a winning start in Zürich. Juve, who reached the quarter-finals last season after also starting their group campaign with victory in Switzerland at Servette FCCF, dominated throughout but could only break through in the final 19 minutes.
Valentina Cernoia broke the deadlock by collecting a film in the area to put on a shot under Lourdes Romero. Cernoia was then replaced by Barbara Bonansea who, five minutes from time, found the top corner after a blocked first effort.
October 27: Juventus vs Lyon, Arsenal vs Zürich
Group D
Linda Dallmann’s strike sealed victory for Bayern as they came from behind to beat the Swedish champions. Maximiliane Rall missed a golden chance before Jovana Damnjanović’s header was deflected off the post, but it was the visitors who took a surprise lead on 25 minutes when Loreta Kullashi nodded.
Carolin Simon evened things up when her cross from the right bounced past everyone and inside. Dallmann got the winner shortly before the hour she tapped home after Damnjanović’s header was saved. Bayern were largely comfortable from there but Mia Persson hit the crossbar late.
Seven different players entered the scoresheet as last year’s beaten finalists began their campaign in emphatic style. Asisat Oshoala set up Patricia Guijarro and Aitana Bonmatí early on before putting herself on the scoresheet with a superb long-range strike.
Mariona Caldentey’s solo effort made it four early in the second half, before she edged out Ana-Maria Crnogorčević for number five. Geyse Ferreira came off the bench to score the sixth goal against her former club and Clàudia Pina tucked in the seventh, before Caldentey brilliantly set up Oshoala for the number eight. Geyse headed in the ninth to cap a memorable debut in UEFA competition as Barcelona recorded their biggest ever European victory.
October 27: Rosengård v Barcelona, Benfica v Bayern
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