Manchester City opened its UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase campaign with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich at Sportpark Unterhaching, recovering from a two-goal deficit on Tuesday.
Bayern Munich Builds Early Two-Goal Advantage
Playing their first official fixture at their new home venue of Sportpark Unterhaching, last season’s semifinalists Bayern Munich asserted control early in the match. Giulia Gwinn opened the scoring in the 11th minute before an unfortunate own goal from Manchester City defender Kerstin Casparij in the 28th minute doubled the hosts’ lead to 2-0.
Despite the early setbacks, Manchester City managed to shift momentum before halftime. Beth Mead capitalized just before the break, netting in the 45th minute to cut Bayern’s lead in half and shift the psychological advantage ahead of the interval.
Missed Opportunities and the Second-Half Comeback
The visitors had an immediate chance to level the score shortly after the break when forward Khadija Shaw stepped up to take a penalty in the 62nd minute. Shaw missed the target, keeping Bayern ahead by a solitary goal as the match entered its tense final stretch.
Head coach Andrée Jeglertz’s side continued to press, and the persistence paid off in the 86th minute. Carlotta Wamser, recently signed from Bayer Leverkusen, struck from inside the area to equalize at 2-2, marking her first Champions League goal. “Se siente muy especial. De niña, es un sueño jugar la Liga de Campeones y enfrentarte a las mejores jugadoras del mundo,” Wamser stated, according to UEFA.com.
With the result, Manchester City became the first English team in history to avoid defeat away against Bayern Munich in European competition. Reflecting on the missed chances that could have turned a draw into a victory, Bayern midfielder Linda Dallmann noted to reporters that her side’s unforced errors proved costly: “Perdimos un poco de intensidad en la segunda parte e hicimos demasiados errores, y errores demasiado fáciles, y a este nivel eso se vuelve en tu contra.”
Action Across the Rest of the European Slate
Elsewhere in the opening round of the Women’s Champions League, Arsenal narrowly avoided a frustrating home draw against Danish club HB Køge. Two-time European champions Arsenal dominated possession at Meadow Park, but required a stoppage-time penalty converted by Mariona Caldentey to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
“Durante los 90 minutos, trabajamos muchísimo. Nunca nos rendimos,” remarked Arsenal midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross regarding the stubborn resistance put up by the visitors from Denmark.
In Italy, Inter Milan enjoyed a successful debut in the proper competition phase by defeating visiting Swedish side Häcken 1-0. Haley Bugeja scored the decisive goal just five minutes into the contest, making history as the first Maltese player to feature in a Champions League group or league phase fixture, per UEFA records.
Meanwhile, Benfica claimed a notable 2-1 away victory against Juventus powered by a brace from Marit Bratberg Lund, and Real Madrid traded goals with Paris Saint-Germain in a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital after Felicia Schröder’s early second-minute strike for the hosts was canceled out by Sakina Karchaoui’s penalty in the second half.
Next Fixtures in the Champions League
Manchester City will look to translate their second-half resilience into a full 90-minute performance when they face Real Madrid in their upcoming group stage fixture. Arsenal and the remaining European competitors will continue their league phase journeys in the coming weeks as the battle for the knockout berths intensifies.
Worth a look
