Arsenal beats Benfica 2-0 to recover from opening loss in Women’s Champions League
Beth Mead and Alessia Russo each scored as Arsenal broke through a tenacious Benfica defense to win 2-0 and bounce back after an opening loss dented its Women’s Champions League title defense.
Arsenal struggled to get past the Portuguese defense until Mead slid in to get the crucial touch ahead of Diana Gomes and score in the 57th minute.
Until that breakthrough, Arsenal had struggled to crack the Benfica back line and had nearly conceded when Gomes met a free kick with a header that forced an acrobatic save from Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.
Russo made sure of the win in the 89th, knocking in a low free kick from Chloe Kelly.
“It was tough,” Mead told ESPN. “Benfica are a very physical team, they like to get under your skin.”
Just before Russo’s goal, there were possible injury concerns for Arsenal as defenders Steph Catley and Emily Fox were both substituted in apparent discomfort.
The win gets Arsenal back on track in the league stage after losing 2-1 at home to OL Lyonnes last week.
Real Madrid wins again
Paris-born Naomie Feller scored to help Real Madrid beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 and pick up its second win of the league stage as PSG lost again.
Feller darted onto a cross from Yasmim to score on Madrid’s first shot on target in the 29th, before Alba Redondo doubled Madrid’s lead by tucking away a rebound just before half time. Rasheedat Ajibade scored for PSG in the 58th before Madrid held off a series of PSG attacks late on.
Madrid joins fellow Spanish club Barcelona, Manchester United, Wolfsburg and Lyonnes as one of five teams to win both of their opening games of the new-look league stage.
Man United holds on
Fridolina Rolfö’s goal proved to be enough as Manchester United clung on for a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid despite losing defender Dominique Janssen to a first-half red card.
Rolfö volleyed the ball hard into the net in the 24th before Janssen was sent off 13 minutes later for a clumsy challenge which was initially given a yellow card. It was upgraded to red when video review showed her knee colliding hard with the ankle of Atletico forward Gio Garbelini, who went off injured.
United’s path to a second win got easier when Atletico’s Alexia Fernandez was sent off with a second yellow card for her reckless sliding challenge on Leah Galton in the 74th.
A dramatic winning goal
Back in Champions League action nine days after its 7-1 loss to Barcelona, Bayern Munich responded with a 2-1 win over Juventus after a long wait for a video review to confirm its stoppage-time winner.
To Juventus players’ disbelief, the review showed Lea Schüller’s shot had crossed the goal line as defender Mathilde Harviken desperately tried to clear it. Pernille Harder’s opening goal for Bayern in the 11th was canceled out by Juventus midfielder Eva Schatzer six minutes later.
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