Manchester City’s Women’s Champions League campaign gained significant momentum as they secured a commanding 4-1 victory against Inter in Monza. The win marked City’s first three points in the group stage this season, providing a boost to their prospects of reaching the knockout rounds. But ultimately slipped to their second draw from four outings, sonia Bompastor’s side remain unbeaten in the Champions League. With the delivery leaving the travelling fans purring, hemp dinked a delightful cross to the far post for Clinton to make it 4-1 from a tight angle. They will head to Stamford Bridge in a rich vein of form.
Despite a slow start where they fell behind to an Elisa Bartoli header following an Ivana Andrés cross, the visitors remained composed. City responded through Aoba Fujino, who perfectly timed her run to meet a precise through ball from Laura Blindkilde Brown to level the score. Fujino then struck again just before halftime, converting from close range after a Mary Fowler attempt was only partially cleared by the Inter defense. Though, aided by fine performances from Blindkilde Brown and Sam Coffey in midfield, the WSL champions were looking the stronger.
City’s dominance grew in the second half, bolstered by clinical finishing.
Kerstin Casparij extended the lead, finding the corner of the net following an intelligent pass from Sam Coffey. The victory was rounded off by Grace Clinton, who scored from a tight angle after connecting with a precise cross from substitute Lauren Hemp. The performance was particularly noteworthy as City manager Andrée Jeglertz successfully managed his squad, resting top-scorer Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw entirely while introducing key players like Yui Hemp and Yui Hasegawa later in the contest. Perhaps the most pleasing element was that they did not even need to call on Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, on a very satisfying night for Manchester City. Initially things did not look quite so harmonious. Spreading the ball into wide spaces much more quickly than they had earlier in the contest, embracing the lively movement of the half-time substitute Hemp and Iman Beney, they began to turn on the style from then. Today, starting with quite a few rotations, I think we did phenomenally.”.
Inter attempted to respond late in the match, with goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita producing two world-class saves. She first denied a curling effort from Haley Bugeja early in the second half and later stopped a close-range attempt from Michela Cambiaghi. Despite these efforts, City’s game management ensured they saw out the match comfortably.
Reflecting on the result, Grace Clinton emphasized the quality within the squad, noting that the ability for many players to step in and contribute goals reflects the team’s impressive depth. Casparij added that the victory provides excellent momentum heading into a challenging upcoming domestic clash against Chelsea. “I think it shows the depth in the group and how much talent we’ve got,” Clinton told Disney+. “So many girls can come in and score goals and contribute. So it’s good to use it.”, we’ve got really great squad depth.
Elsewhere in the competition, Chelsea faced frustration in Gothenburg, held to a goalless draw by Hacken. Despite dominating possession and having two goals disallowed—one from Wieke Kaptein and another from Melvine Malard—the Blues could not find a breakthrough. Maika Hamano also hit the crossbar late in the game, but Hacken’s disciplined defense held firm for a point. But the goal was chalked off when Lexi Potter was ruled to have fouled goalkeeper Falk, wieke Kaptein headed home for Chelsea in the opening minutes. Maika Hamano’s looping strike bounced off the crossbar during a late surge from Chelsea but Hacken defended their box well deep into stoppage time to clinch a valuable point.
In other Wednesday action, Real Madrid defeated Paris FC 3-0, with all goals coming in the second half from substitutes Lineth Beerensteyn and Linda Caicedo. Roma claimed a 2-1 victory over Servette, while Bayern Munich moved into second place in their standings behind Barcelona by securing a 2-1 win away at Paris Saint-Germain.
As of the start of the latest round of matches, the top three positions in the 18-team table were held by Barcelona, Lyon, and Arsenal. The competition remains highly competitive as teams push for qualification, with key fixtures, including Barcelona’s home game against Arsenal, scheduled for later in the week.
