The capital’s two football clubs will be taking part in the group stage of the Women’s Champions League. The players of Paris Saint-Germain eliminated Manchester United on Wednesday October 18 by winning 3-1 at home in the return match of the play-offs (1-1 in the first leg), and joined those of Paris FC who created the feat a little earlier by eliminating double European champions Wolfsburg and 2023 finalists, thanks to their 2-0 victory.
The PFC had conceded a draw at the Charléty stadium (3-3) last week in the first leg, but the co-leader club of the French championship – four victories in four matches – went to seek qualification in Germany for its first participation in the European test.
The Parisiennes attacked the meeting like their smooth start to the season and their two successful qualifying rounds, during which they crushed Kryvbas (4-0) and achieved the feat – already – of eliminating Arsenal, semi-finalist of the last Champions League, (3-3, 4 shots on goal to 2).
Dominant and pressing, Sandrine Soubeyrand’s players quickly showed their intentions, first through a very restless Mathilde Bourdieu whose curling shot was well repelled by the German goalkeeper (6th). In the process, the PFC obtained a penalty, due to a hand fault by the very experienced Alexandra Popp, who returned to defend. But captain Gaëtane Thiney, 37, saw her attempt rejected by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Lisa Schmitz (11th).
The Germans also fail on penalties
During the first half, the Germans came up against a well-established Parisian block, but were nevertheless close to opening the score against the run of play, on a header from Ewa Pajor, which hit the post and allowed Parisian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie to narrowly grab the ball in two stages (22nd).
It is quite logical that the Parisiennes scored first, before the break: Julie Dufour, receiving a cross from Mateo coming from the right at the far post, did her best to deceive Schmitz from the left (38th), confirming a great start to the season with a fifth goal in the Champions League, his sixth in all competitions.
Unrecognizable, the double European champions even missed the opportunity to equalize for the first time from the penalty spot. Nnadozie, who had already distinguished herself at the World Cup with Nigeria and during the penalty shootout against Arsenal, brilliantly intervened against the Dutch Janssen (61st). And in a more disjointed end to the match, where the Germans could have pulled the score back several times, notably through Pajor (78th), it was the Parisians who managed to score the break goal, after a perfectly counterattack. concluded by Louise Fleury (90th).
The long scenes of collective joy at the final whistle summed up the importance of the feat achieved by Thiney and her teammates: six years after the club’s merger with FCF Juvisy, they will enter the next group stage for the first time. of the Champions League.
A Chawinga-Martens duo inspired
A little later in the evening, Paris Saint-Germain also invited themselves to the party. Jostled last week in the north of England by Manchester United (1-1), these other Parisians still had some difficulties against the current sixth in the Women’s Super League, but did not give up mentally. In front of the 10,000 spectators at the Parc des Princes, including 400 noisy Ultras, Jocelyn Prêcheur’s players, who had control of the game most of the match, opened the scoring thanks to the speed of the new Malawian attacker Tabitha Chawinga.
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Launched deep on the left side, Chawinga made the difference but came up against Mary Earps, the World Cup finalist goalkeeper with England. Alone in the area, the Dutchwoman Lieke Martens followed well and finished easily (17th).
It is the same duo who were at the conclusion of the second Parisian goal: like the first, Chawinga showed his speed, then crossed at ground level towards Martens, who once again deceived Earps (48th) . But like last week, the Mancunians had come back to the score just before, upon returning from the locker room (47th), thanks to the Norwegian Lisa Naalsund.
The Parisiennes did not let doubt settle in and after their immediate reaction, they gave themselves some air with an inspiration from Sandy Baltimore (57th) for the 3-1. In great form at the start of the season, the French international managed to lob the English goalkeeper from a tight angle. A few minutes before, Parisian goalkeeper Katarzyna Kiedrzynek had saved another equalizer at the cost of a perfect relaxation (51st), then a second time (69th). Then, the goalkeeper then did well because the referee refused a Manchester goal because of a foul on her (71st) and was helped by her post at the very end of the match (90+4).
“We deliberately left the ball to Manchester at the end of the match and the mentality helped us at that momentanalyzed Jocelyn Prêcheur, who arrived three weeks ago at the head of PSG. When you score three goals it changes everything, we’ve been chasing this efficiency for quite some time, and we responded well. »
With Olympique Lyonnais, Paris FC and Paris Saint-Germain, for the first time there will be three French teams in the group stage of the women’s C1.
2023-10-18 19:32:51
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