The eagerly awaited UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) has commenced, and below is a summary of the events that unfolded during the inaugural week of the UWCL, featuring unexpected outcomes, disappointments, notable victories, and areas for improvement for teams as they prepare for the second week of competition.
Matchday 1: Tuesday
On Tuesday 08 October, matchday one of the UWCL, the record time eight time-champions Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and last season’s finalist who lost to Barcelona by 0-2 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on the 25th of May 2024, with Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas scoring the two goals of the final. However, this year’s opening of the Women’s Champions putting the past behind them, as they look forward to a new season in chance of the 9th UEFA title, proved too strong for Türkiye’s group stage debutants, Galatasaray. Lyon defeated Galatasaray by 3-0.
Kadidiatou Diani scored two goals as the eight-time champions demonstrated their superiority over Türkiye’s newcomers in the group stage. Galatasaray maintained a strong defensive performance throughout the match in Décines; however, once Diani opened the scoring with a clinical header in the 34th minute, the outcome appeared inevitable. Lyon’s second goal came just before half-time, courtesy of Vanessa Gilles, also from an aerial play. Diani then secured her brace in the 77th minute with another header, mirroring her initial goal.
In Group B, Chelsea competed against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge, where the home team emerged victorious with a score of 3-2. The match concluded with tense moments as the Madrid players displayed remarkable determination to secure a win from the English champions. Nevertheless, Chelsea maintained their winning momentum under the guidance of Sonia Bompastor, despite experiencing a nerve-wracking finish. Sjoeke Nüsken opened the scoring with a deflected header, followed by Guro Reiten converting a penalty after a foul on Nüsken, which doubled Chelsea’s lead. Real Madrid responded with a well-executed finish from Alba Redondo, but Mayra Ramírez quickly restored Chelsea’s two-goal cushion shortly after halftime. This proved crucial as Las Blancas substitute Linda Caicedo narrowed the gap to 3-2, yet Chelsea managed to hold on for the win.
Matchday 1 continued on Wednesday
In a remarkable turn of events, the unpredictability of football was on full display as Manchester City delivered a stunning performance against the defending champions, Barcelona, securing a 2-0 victory. This match marked Manchester City’s long-anticipated debut in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage, and they could not have asked for a better start.
Meanwhile, Bayern München triumphed over Arsenal with a resounding 5-2 win, bolstered by a hat-trick from Pernille Harder.
Juventus and newcomers Hammarby also celebrated opening victories.
Full Results
Lyon 3-0 Galatasaray
Roma 1-0 Wolfsburg
FC Twente 2-0 Celtic
Chelsea 3-2 Madrid
Hammarby 2-0 St. Pölten
Manchester City 2-0 Barcelona
Vålerenga 0-1 Juventus
Bayern München 5-2 Arsenal