A dramatic late goal from Caroline Weir helped Real Madrid turn from a 1-1 draw with Paris FC to a 3-1 victory over fellow giants Wolfsburg in the Women’s Champions League on Tuesday.
Lorena Azzaro converted a penalty before the end of the first half in stoppage time, and Weir’s goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time (when there should have been six points left) denied Paris a victory in Madrid as the visitors desperately tried to hold on.
The French team had defeated the Spanish club home and away in 2023, winning 1-0 on penalties.
Norwegian star Ada Hegelberg scored twice in Lyon’s win, while Katarina Macario and Sam Kerr both scored twice as Chelsea defeated competition debutants St. Polten 6-0. In Austria, the score was decided by own goals from Wike Kaptein and Lisa Ebert.
Earlier, Norwegian club Valerenga defeated Roma 1-0 for their first win in the competition.
Madrid is frustrating
The Spanish team dominated the first 30 minutes, with Linda Caicedo breaking through a number of defenders and hitting the crossbar, and goalkeeper Mylène Chabas denying Naomi Ferrer’s shot.
However, Philippa Angeldahl was penalized for a foul on substitute Cheika Scott, and Azzaro took Paris’ penalty in the 41st minute.
Caicedo drew a good save from Chabas, adding to the frustration of the home side as their pressure in the second half went unrewarded and Chabas continued to make more stops. Goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez received a warning after complaining about questionable refereeing decisions.
Weir finally made the chance count by pushing the ball past the otherwise flawless Chavas.
“The performance was decent enough, we just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the goal,” the Scotland star told ESPN.
Lyon releases statement
Hegerberg scored two goals five minutes apart in the first half, team captain Wendy Leonard converted a penalty, and eight-time champions Lyon dominated from start to finish in the 11th meeting to fend off Wolfsburg’s challenge.
Reins Behrenstein led the German team to a comfortable victory.
It was Lyon’s seventh consecutive win against Wolfsburg. Renard, who has played in all competitions thus far, became the first player to record 100 wins in UEFA club competitions.
Hegerberg extended his record as the tournament’s top scorer, increasing his total to 69 goals.
Valerenga’s historic victory
Stein Brecken scored and Valerenga defended well to celebrate the club’s unprecedented victory in Rome.
Roma started well and Sara Holte’s deflected header hit the post in the 34th minute, giving the visitors more confidence.
Six minutes later, Brecken, a 20-year-old midfielder, made a smart turn to evade a defender and move forward past a stationary defender before firing the ball into the top left corner.
“We’ve been fighting for a long time to get better and get points here in the Champions League, so it’s a really, really good feeling for the team to finally get that (win),” Brecken said.
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