Aoba Fujino scored twice on Wednesday to lead Manchester City to a 4-1 victory over Inter in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Manchester City secured their first win of the current Champions League group stage at the Joie Stadium. Elisa Bartoli opened the scoring for the visitors in the 24th minute with a header from a left-wing cross.
Fujino leveled the score in the 33rd minute. Laura Blindkilde played a through ball that allowed the forward to run behind the defense and finish past the goalkeeper.
Just before halftime in the 44th minute, Iman Beney crossed from the right side. Mary Fowler took a shot that was blocked by the Inter goalkeeper, and Fujino pounced on the rebound to score her second goal of the match.
32. Aoba Fujino draws us level! 🙌 Blinky threads a beautifully weighted pass in behind, and Aoba latches onto it before curling the ball beyond the onrushing Runarsdottir! 🎯 🔵 1-1 🤍 https://t.co/AO6bbV4DMC
The goals marked Fujino’s first strikes in this season’s Champions League and her second overall in official competition. Manager Gareth Taylor substituted her at halftime for Lauren Hemp.
Taylor rested several regular starters ahead of the upcoming WSL fixture against Chelsea. Khadija Shaw, Hemp, and Yui Hasegawa began the match on the bench.
Goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita and Fujino retained their places in the starting lineup. Other changes included starts for Sam Coffey, Gracie Prior, and Beney.
Risa Shimizu entered the match in the 64th minute to make her Champions League debut. Hasegawa joined the action in the 75th minute, while Shaw did not play.
The win moved Manchester City to seventh place in the league phase standings with four points from four matches. Fujino enters the weekend fixture against Chelsea in strong form following her recent goals.
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