With Europe’s biggest club football competition back underway for 2022/23, fans will be once again be able to watch the planet’s best players face off from Portugal to Prague and everywhere in between.
From the group stage all the way to the final in Eindhoven, Beyond90 will bring you the three biggest stories from each match week as we find out who will eventually lift that famous ribboned cup.
Foord Focus Runs Over Lost Lyon
Two goals each from wingers Caitlin Foord and Beth Mead and one from midfielder Frida Maanum saw Arsenal crush 2022 European champions Lyon 5-1 at Stade de Lyon on the opening night of this year’s Champions League group stage.
Still missing defenders Ellie Carpenter and Griedge Mbock through knee injuries, the Lyonnaise defence struggled to contain the pace of Mead and Foord, while Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius kept the French club’s makeshift central pairing busy with her own efforts between the lines.
Despite winning the majority of possession and registering more shots on target than their opponents, Lyon was cursed by their own misfortune and mistakes; pried open on four separate occasions by a clinical and consistent Arsenal side clearly on a mission, Sonia Bompastor’s team were unable to trouble goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger from open play across the 90 minutes, meaning one can only assume that there’ll be a few lengthy video sessions for Les Fenottes in the week ahead.
For Arsenal however, this win was a statement of intent and a result that could prove crucial as the group stage matures, and with Mead in career-best form and top scorer Vivienne Miedema only registering 10 minutes on the pitch in Lyon, this kind of performance will likely have even more clubs wanting to avoid the Gunners in the knock-out phase.
Barcelona Go Ham On Benfica In Ibérico Derby
Sometimes in life you’re the bug, and sometimes you’re the windscreen; unfortunately for Portuguese champions Benfica that windscreen took the form of a ruthless Barcelona side, running out 9-0 victors at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.
Opening the scoring within 60 seconds through Patri Guijarra, the Blaugrana went to the break with a three-goal lead having only faced one attempt at goal from the visitors, but picked up where they left off through Mariona Caldentey after five minutes of the second half.
The pain didn’t stop there for Benfica however, as both Asisat Oshoala and Brazilian substitute Geyse both registered braces, and with 16 total shots on target and nearly two-thirds of possession last year’s runners-up cruised to an easy win, allowing Aitana Bonmatí, Ana-Maria Crnogorčević, Mapi León and Nuria Rábano to earn early marks and rest up ahead of upcoming matches against Real Betis and Rosengård.
For the Águias, the road to the knockout stage doesn’t get any easier as they host 2021 UWCL quarter-finalist Bayern at the Benfica Campus on matchday two, and with central defenders Carole Costa and Carolina Correira both booked in Catalonia they’ll be hoping neither pick up another caution against the Germans to avoid suspension.
Chelsea Makes Bright Start in City of Light
Despite being without the direct guidance of manager Emma Hayes, beaten 2021 finalists Chelsea made the best start possible to their Group A campaign with a 0-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade-Jean-Bouin.
With Hayes watching on via video link due to a medical emergency, the Blues dominated the early stages of a cagy match in front of a raucous crowd including around 800 fans from the Collectif Ultras Paris, a group more often seen (and heard) at the adjacent Parc des Princes.
Chelsea found just reward for that effort halfway through the first 45 as newly-crowned Euro 2022 winner Millie Bright evaded the attention of the Parisienne defence to score unmarked at the back post, thanks in part to a glorious second-phase cross by Erin Cuthbert.
What followed Bright’s goal was a defensive master-class by the visitors, restricting PSG to a single shot on target – a tame Kadidiatou Diani effort saved by Ann-Katrin Berger after an hour – despite having far less possession, while notching 18 interceptions and 12 defensive headers across the 90 minutes.
Those numbers and the final score will certainly provide pause for thought for PSG manager Gérard Prêcheur, whose side will hope to bounce back against Real Madrid at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano; for Chelsea however they’ll look to continue their good form and ease Hayes’ mind during her absence, even if Albanian champions Vllaznia should prove easier opposition.
Group A
Vllaznia 0 Real Madrid 2
Paris Saint-Germain 0 Chelsea 1
Standings: Madrid 3 (+2) Chelsea 3 (+1) PSG 0 (-1) Vllaznia 0 (-2)
MW2: Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea vs Vllaznia
Group B
Wolfsburg 4 St-Pölten 0
Slavia Prague 0 Roma 1
Standings: Wolfsburg 3 (+4) Roma 3 (+1) Slavia 0 (-1) St-Pölten 0 (+4)
MW2: St-Pölten vs Roma, Slavia Prague vs Wolfsburg
Group C
Olympique Lyonnais 1 Arsenal 5
Zürich 0 Juventus 2
Standings: Arsenal 3 (+4) Juventus 3 (+2) Zürich 0 (-2) Lyon 0 (-4)
MW2: Juventus vs Olympique Lyonnais, Arsenal vs Zürich
Group D
Barcelona 9 SL Benfica 0
Bayern Munich 1 Rosengård 0
Standings: Barcelona 3 (+9) Bayern 3 (+1) Rosengård 0 (-1) Benfica 0 (-9)
MW2: Rosengård vs Barcelona; SL Benfica vs Bayern Munich
