The third round of the UWCL this season saw some of the most exciting clashes and gave us a glimpse of what is to come when the table starts to take shape.
Tuesday saw Valerenga beat Roma 1-0, before Lyon beat Wolfsburg 3-1, Chelsea thrashed St. Pölten 6-0, and Real Madrid grabbed a last-minute equalizer against Paris FC to end their match in a 1-1 draw.
Then on Wednesday, we saw Barcelona beat Odd-Heverle Leuven 3-0, Bayern Munich stun Arsenal with a 3-2 win, Juventus beat Atletico Madrid 2-1, Benfica and Twente draw 1-1, and in Mary Earps’ return to England, her former club Manchester United beat her current club Paris Saint-Germain 2-1.
We asked our writers Beth Lindop, Alex Kirkland, and Tom Hamilton to answer some of our burning questions.
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What’s happening at Arsenal now?
lindob: As defending champions, Arsenal now have a target on their backs. Defensive injuries are not helping their cause, with academy graduate Katie Reid suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training, but it is the psychological aspect of Wednesday night’s defeat that perhaps worries head coach Rene Sligers the most.
After leading 2-0 at half-time, Arsenal were on a cruise, and while Bayern coach Jose Barkala deserves praise for his impactful substitutions, a team looking to move forward in this competition should not give up in the way Arsenal did after the break. The Gunners need to find some consistency, especially in defence. But with so many key employees gone, that may be easier said than done.
Hamilton: I agree with Beth, and while Barkala made his substitutions correctly, the substitutions made by Sligers disrupted their rhythm. Pernille Harder came off Bayern’s bench and changed the game, but as Arsenal emptied their bench, they lost all rhythm and cohesion. The great pressure and momentum we saw in the first half disappeared, and it became difficult to control the tempo of the match.
Obviously there are some leftovers from last season. While this remarkable victory was driven in part by sheer emotion, it is difficult to replicate. Injuries are not helping, and new signings are not yet fully integrated. It will take a little sorcery from the Sluggers to get the ship back on track.
Everyone was talking about Mary Earps before her return to Manchester United, but was she at the forefront?
lindob: When the team leaves dropped at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening, the news that Safiya Middleton-Battle would start in goal for Manchester United would certainly raise some eyebrows. Fallon Tullis-Joyce has been an impressive goalkeeper for United since the start of last season, so her injury will be a cause for concern for Mark Skinner and his staff.
However, in only her second appearance for the first team, Middleton-Battle put in an impressive performance, rising to the occasion and making a huge save from Anis Ebaylin’s effort as the scores were leveled early in the second half. As far as Earps is concerned, it was a disappointing return to Manchester, but it was nice to see her supporters clapping after the final whistle. It’s been a difficult week for the former England international, but she still has plenty of fans at United and beyond.
Hamilton: Having been at Old Trafford, the reception Earps received at the start of the match was noticeably different to the reception she received at the end. She was initially greeted with boos (interspersed with cheers), but by the end of the game, as she walked around the field, there were signs supporting her and lots of love.
But the star goalkeeper that night was Middleton Battle. She didn’t find out she was starting until mid-afternoon on Wednesday, and she performed admirably. No goalkeeper in the world could stop Olga Carmona’s shot, and she was calm and composed throughout. You could never have imagined that Middleton-Battle was in only her second match on such a stage.
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Middleton-Buttle talks about Manchester United’s ‘special’ first UWCL match
Safiya Middleton-Battle speaks after making her first Women’s Champions League start for Manchester United.
Is the return of Sam Kerr the missing ingredient for Chelsea to end their UWCL wait?
lindob: It may have been 692 days since she last played for Chelsea, having suffered a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury, but Kerr’s two-goal display against St. Pölten in a 6-0 win proved she still has all the ingredients to be one of the best strikers in the world.
In the early stages of Tuesday night, the Australian international looked uncharacteristically rusty, wasting a number of chances before finally getting her first goal in the 72nd minute. She then followed that up with Kerr’s trademark header in stoppage time. Although it may take some time before she returns to her best, her return to goalscoring form could certainly give Chelsea the extra edge they lack in European competition.
kirkland: It’s still early, but Kerr’s two goals in the first 90 minutes in almost two years is very encouraging for Chelsea, and worrying for their rivals. It took a while to get going against St. Pölten, as you would expect, but Kerr’s goal-scoring talent is something you never lose. And yes, Chelsea look in good form, but let’s see how they fare against Barcelona – Europe’s gold standard for years now – later this month. This is a proper test, and then we will be able to judge where they and Kerr are.
Hamilton: Kerr’s return should be ominous for the rest of European football. This big win in Austria also coincided with the return of Lauren James and Naomi Girma, three international options available. They are unbeaten in the Champions League so far, and with Barcelona on the horizon, Kerr’s return comes at the right time and makes Sonia Bombastor’s side even more lethal.
Beth is right, it will take time for her to get her radar right in attack, but the two goals indicate she is on the right track. But it will take time, and let’s not get too into this just yet – this was not a definitive test. Chelsea made 43 shots, including 19 on target. However, Kerr’s return is great, and if she returns to her best, Chelsea should be cemented as Championship favourites. The challenge for Bombastor is to figure out how to keep all of her future choices happy.
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Sam Kerr is enjoying every moment with Chelsea after the 6-0 win
Sam Kerr reacts as she scored twice in her first match for Chelsea in nearly two years against St. Pölten in the Women’s Champions League.
Does Valerenga’s win over Roma justify the new format of the UWCL?
lindob: We all love fairytale football, and for all its flaws, the new 18-team single stage system helps facilitate that. Valerenga haven’t been very lucky so far, pushing Manchester United and Wolfsburg to the finish before losing narrowly, so it was great to see them pick up their first win in the competition against Roma.
The fact that FC Twente drew 1-1 with Chelsea in the first round of the match is further evidence that there is plenty of room for surprises, and hopefully there will be more before we reach the knockout stages.
kirkland:It was great: That’s what this tournament should be about, but too often it’s not. The fact that Valerenga’s win was sealed by a stunning solo goal, scored by Stein Brecken, made it even better. Brecken put it best afterwards: “We’ve been fighting for a long time to get better and try to compete here, and today we have to show it.”
And that’s precisely the point: teams like Valerenga need experience at this level, against top teams, in order to improve. Last year, they tied one game and lost five of their UWCL matches. Now, they are defeating Rome. amazing.
Hamilton: The Valerenga match was magical, as was the sight of their manager, Nils Lexerud, in the stands at the end of the first half singing, after he had been suspended for standing on the touchline. Full time, celebrate with the head chef. OH Leuven’s story was also remarkable, with a draw with Paris FC and a win over Twente.
Those are lifelong memories. Elsewhere, FC Twente’s draw with Chelsea was one of the highlights of the tournament, and here are the many surprises and twists along the way.
The two Madrid teams played two very different matches. What is the difference between them now?
kirkland: Real Madrid and Atletico were both a goal behind, in the final minutes of their matches with Paris and Juventus, respectively. The difference is simple: Real Madrid dug deep, summoned some of that vague, intangible “Real Madrid in the Champions League” spirit, and somehow found a 98th-minute equalizer through Caroline Weir; Atletico were unable to do the same the next day.
In previous seasons, Real Madrid felt they were not mature enough as a team to properly compete at this level. Remember, this is only their fifth UWCL campaign since the team was formed in 2020. They’re still far from a perfect team, and I wouldn’t rank them among the favorites to win this tournament, but they now have a great mix of veterans with brilliant minds like Weir, and talented, carefree youngsters like Linda Caicedo. Let’s see how far he will take them.
What is your favorite goal on the tour?
lindob: I’d actually pick Kerr’s second goal against St. Pölten. It wasn’t the most exciting goal, nor the most decisive in terms of the score, but it was an absolute classic for Kerr: he rose highest to score from Niamh Charles’ cross. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the striker at her best, but that special finish was the perfect reminder of what she does.
kirkland: Weir’s late equalizer for Real Madrid was hard to beat in terms of drama, but the quality of the shot was nothing compared to the free-kick that Emma Stolin Godo converted for Juventus at Atletico. But actually, forget both: my favorite is the goal I mentioned earlier, Brykken’s solo effort for Valerenga. A quirk that begins with nutmeg: What’s not to like?!
Hamilton: There were some great efforts: Mariona Caldente’s goal against Bayern was judged very beautifully, while Fredolina Rulfo’s header against Paris Saint-Germain was the result of a great team move. But I will score Carmona’s goal against Manchester United in the same match. I was biased when I saw it live, but it was just one of those perfect shots that seemed to hang in the sky for so long it was completely impossible to save.
