Chelsea and Bayern Munich have both secured their spots in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Champions League after an exhilarating conclusion to the league stage on Wednesday, featuring nine matches played simultaneously. Meanwhile, Juventus and Real Madrid are heading to the playoff rounds.
Crucial headers from Lucy Bronze and Sam Kerr propelled Chelsea to a 2-1 victory over two-time Champions League champions Wolfsburg, allowing them to finish third behind Barcelona and OL Lyonnes. Wolfsburg initially took the lead with a goal from Alexandra Popp
.
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Chelsea made history as the first English side to win at Wolfsburg in this competition, a record that Bronze described as “a significant milestone.” With her goal, Kerr became the second Chelsea player to reach 20 Champions League goals and the first Australian to achieve this landmark.
“Today was certainly a challenging match,” Bronze acknowledged. “It may have been one of our toughest encounters in the Champions League.”
Bayern secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Norway’s Valerenga, clinching the fourth and final direct spot in the quarterfinals and avoiding the playoffs. This was a remarkable turnaround, given that Bayern began the league stage with a 7-1 defeat to Barcelona back in October.
Bayern’s decisive victory was crucial, as both Juventus and Real Madrid faltered, resulting in their entry into the playoffs.
Real Madrid required a last-minute equalizer from Sara Däbritz to draw 1-1 against Twente, finishing seventh. Meanwhile, Jess Park scored the lone goal for Manchester United in their 1-0 win over Juventus, propelling them to sixth place and denying the Italian side, now in eighth, a spot in the quarterfinals.
This sets the stage for challenging playoff encounters in February, as either Madrid or Juventus will compete against either Wolfsburg or Paris FC. The draw for these playoffs will occur on Thursday.
Defending champions Arsenal couldn’t secure a direct quarterfinal entry but garnered a favorable seeding for the playoffs with a 3-0 victory against OH Leuven from Belgium, who nevertheless qualified for the playoffs in 12th place due to Valerenga’s defeat.
Canadian forward Olivia Smith netted her first career Champions League goal from a rebound, giving Arsenal an early lead, followed by Beth Mead who scored to double the advantage. Arsenal or United could face Leuven or Atlético Madrid in the upcoming playoffs.
Barcelona and OL Lyonnes confirmed their advancement as the top two teams, ending the league phase with wins.
Goals from Vicky López and Caroline Graham Hansen secured a 2-0 victory for Barcelona against Paris FC, while Lyonnes capitalized on Atlético’s errors for a comprehensive 4-0 win.
Lyonnes established dominance by halftime, aided by an own goal from Vilde Boe Risa and a red card for Atlético’s Luany, dismissed for pulling Selma Bacha’s hair. Atlético advanced to the playoffs in 11th position.
Paris Saint-Germain concluded their winless campaign in 17th place after a 1-1 draw with Benfica. Roma overwhelmed last-place St. Polten with a 6-1 victory but failed to qualify for the knockout stages.