TURIN, Italy (AP) – Manchester United reached the quarterfinals of the Women’s Champions League for the first time on Thursday, as two-time champion Wolfsburg advanced with an away win over Juventus.
Manchester put in another dominant performance to defeat Atletico Madrid 2-0 and move up 5-0 on aggregate. Wolfsburg also won 2-0, advancing to the quarter-finals for the 13th time in 14 seasons with an aggregate score of 4-2.
Title holders Arsenal and Real Madrid advanced to Wednesday’s quarter-finals after defeating OH Leuven and Paris FC respectively.
Having taken a strong lead in Madrid, United continued their form at Leigh Sports Village.
Julia Gigiotti Olme, who also scored once last week, broke the deadlock with a precise left-footed shot within 30 minutes.
Jess Park doubled the lead with a stunning long-range drive before the interval as United faced Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Atlético defender Ksenia Perez was sent off for a second yellow card with five minutes remaining.
Wolfsburg aims for a counterattack
In Turin, Wolfsburg took the lead in the 18th minute after a quick counter-attack when Vivian Endemann collected a pass from Svenja Huth in the box and fired a low, right-footed shot past goalkeeper Daniel de Jong.
Ana Capeta came close to leveling the score by hitting the crossbar in one of the hosts’ many chances, before substitute Cora Zikay scored the second goal in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.
The German club rallied from two points behind in the first leg at home last week to draw 2-2 and book a place in the quarter-finals against record eight-time European champions Lyon.
The new Women’s Champions League format follows the Men’s Champions League, which started last year, with an opening phase for the league.
The top four teams in the standings (Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea and Bayern) advanced directly to the quarter-finals. Teams ranked 5th through 12th advanced to the playoffs, while teams ranked 13th through 18th were eliminated.
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