THERE are three representatives for England in the UEFA Women’s Champions League this season – Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City and all are fighting to be the country’s first winner of the tournament since Arsenal became victorious in 2007.
All three teams made it through the qualifying rounds and into the group stages, this is the first time in Champions League history that 3 English teams will get to feature in the group stages.
Chelsea are looking to win their first European title after appointing Champions League mastermind Sonia Bompastor from Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in the summer after the departure of Emma Hayes.
Arsenal will want to set their form right after not even qualifying last year and getting beaten by Wolfsburg in the Semi-Finals two years ago and hopefully get back to winning ways.
Manchester City will be looking to reach a final for the first ever time and making a statement for themselves and making club history since missing out on European football last season.
Chelsea played their first group game against Real Madrid at home at Stamford Bridge. Sjoeke Nüsken opened the scoring early for the blues in the second minute.
Guro Reiten strengthened their lead over the Spanish side as she converted a penalty into the bottom left corner after a foul was committed on Nusken.
Mayra Ramirez put the game to bed in the 53rd minute after Real Madrid pulled one back through Alba Redondo in the 39th minute.
The game ended 3-2 with Real Madrid scoring once more from Linda Caicedo, could this be the motivation Real Madrid need to put one over Chelsea at the return fixture?
Chelsea will travel to the Netherlands to play Twente on the 17th October, where they will look to get another win under their belt.
Next up to play in the tournament is Chelsea’s London rivals – Arsenal. They travelled away to Germany to face Bayern Munich.
This was a game the Gunners would want to forget and quickly move on from as their poor performances have seemed to followed them into European football.
Champions League veteran, Mariona Caldentey, opened the scoring for the London side as she netted the ball home from a Katie McCabe cross.
Bayern Munich replied and equalised just before half time, an assist from Georgia Stanway allowed Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir to head the ball over the Arsenal defence.
The second half is where it went completely down hill for the North London side.
Laia Codina levelled Arsenal for all of 8 minutes before Pernille Harder ran around Arsenal like it was second nature.
The Dutch international scored a hattrick in 13 minutes, cementing Bayern’s win and leaving Arsenal’s defence for dust and wondering what had gone so wrong.
The score ended 5-2 with Sydney Lohmann scoring Bayern’s second goal.
Arsenal will next play against Vålerenga Damer at home at the Emirates Stadium on the 16th October where they will be looking to put this disappointing loss behind them.
The last game of the three English teams was Manchester City who were hosting Barcelona at the Joie Stadium.
It is no doubt that a lot of people were banking on the reigning Champions putting on a show and taking charge over City but that was not the case.
Youngster and new signing, Naomi Layzell, slotted the ball home to take the lead over the Spanish side after Cata Coll went the wrong way leaving the goal open to City’s attack.
Barcelona tried time and time again to equalise but City’s keeper, Ayaka Yamashita, put on quite the show and made sure it was her team that stayed on top.
The game was looking to stay at 1-0 no matter how hard the Spanish side tried to find a break in the City defence but the blues put one more past the Culers.
Last season’s Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner, Khadija Shaw wanted to have a go at the Barcelona defence and in the 77th minute she sent City 2-0 up.
Ona Batlle tried to fight against Shaw’s strike but was sent flying past the front post leaving Cata Coll and an open goal.
Manchester City will play SKN St. Pölten and will travel away to Austria to do so.
So will Chelsea finally get that Champions League honour they have been fighting for after coming so close for many years?
Will Arsenal put the past two years of Champions League heartbreak behind them and get their first European trophy in 15 years?
But could Manchester City go further then they have ever done before and glide past both English rivals to make history?
All will start to become a reality through the Group Stages which will carry on next week.
