Chelsea, Lyon and Roma Stay Perfect with Victories in Women's Champions League

Roma's Evelyne Viens, right, fights for the ball with Galatasaray's Berna Yeniceri during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)
Roma's Evelyne Viens, right, fights for the ball with Galatasaray's Berna Yeniceri during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)
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Chelsea, Lyon and Roma Stay Perfect with Victories in Women's Champions League

Roma's Evelyne Viens, right, fights for the ball with Galatasaray's Berna Yeniceri during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)
Roma's Evelyne Viens, right, fights for the ball with Galatasaray's Berna Yeniceri during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)

Chelsea, Lyon and Roma all stayed perfect in the Women’s Champions League by cruising to away victories on Thursday.
Roma routed Galatasaray at Istanbul 6-1, Chelsea beat Twente in the Netherlands 3-1 and eight-time champion Lyon won 2-0 at Wolfsburg.
Real Madrid claimed its first victory of the campaign by easing past Celtic 4-0, The Associated Press reported.
Roma and Lyon both have six points in Group A. Two-time champion Wolfsburg and Galatasaray, the first Turkish team to reach the group stage, have no points.
In Group B, Chelsea leads with six points, with Madrid and Twente on three and Celtic last bottom without a point.
Wolfsburg striker Alexandra Popp made her 100th competition appearance — becoming only the second player to reach the mark but it was Lyon defender Wendie Renard, the only one who has played more, who stole the show.
Renard’s header found the back of the net early on in her 118th game in the competition.
US international Lindsey Horan netted from the penalty spot in the second half.
Lyon is the competition’s record eight-time champion but last won the trophy in 2022. It was runner-up last season to Barcelona.
In a matchup between the Italian and Turkish champions, Roma dominated in Istanbul.
Summer signing Hawa Cissoko scored in the seventh minute to mark her debut game in the competition. The France defender who transferred from West Ham headed home off Manuela Giugliano's corner.
Valentina Giacinti made it 2-0 in the 24th minute when she was left unmarked near the spot to head in Verena Hanshaw's cross.
Giugliano failed to convert from the spot in the first-half stoppage time but Emilie Haavi got Roma's third with a right-footed blast past goalkeeper Gamze Yaman early in the second.
Giugliano finally found the back of the net from close range for a 4-0 lead before Andrea Staskova scored the consolation goal for the hosts. Roma substitutes Marta Pandini and Alice Corelli also scored.
Blues win again under Bompastor Chelsea struck early in another winning performance under new coach Sonia Bompastor, who joined from Lyon.
Agnes Beever-Jones put the Blues ahead with a long-distance deflected strike in the seventh minute and Maika Hamano made it 2-0 a short time later by lifting the ball over goalkeeper Olivia Clark from outside the area.
Substitute Guro Reiten added the third in the second from the spot just past the hour mark.
On Saturday, Chelsea beat city rival Arsenal 2-1 in the Women’s Super League.
Real Madrid scored three second-half goals in 11 minutes against Celtic in Group B.
The Spanish team had lost to Chelsea 3-2 in the first round and drew with Atlético 1-1 in the Madrid derby over the weekend.
Caroline Weir fired a long-range left-footer from outside the box into the far top corner in the seventh minute.
The visitors kept if close until the 72nd minute, when Signe Bruun headed home the second goal followed eight minutes later by Caroline Moller's lob of goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty for a 3-0 lead. Linda Caicedo then converted from the penalty spot.
It's back-to-back losses for Scottish club Celtic, making its debut in the group stage. It has yet to score.



Bayern, Man City Win Again in Women's Champions League. Arsenal, Barcelona Rebound from Setbacks

Arsenal players celebrate the 3-1 goal during the UEFA Women’s Champions League soccer match between Arsenal and Valerenga in London, Britain, 16 October 2024.  EPA/TOLGA AKMEN
Arsenal players celebrate the 3-1 goal during the UEFA Women’s Champions League soccer match between Arsenal and Valerenga in London, Britain, 16 October 2024. EPA/TOLGA AKMEN
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Bayern, Man City Win Again in Women's Champions League. Arsenal, Barcelona Rebound from Setbacks

Arsenal players celebrate the 3-1 goal during the UEFA Women’s Champions League soccer match between Arsenal and Valerenga in London, Britain, 16 October 2024.  EPA/TOLGA AKMEN
Arsenal players celebrate the 3-1 goal during the UEFA Women’s Champions League soccer match between Arsenal and Valerenga in London, Britain, 16 October 2024. EPA/TOLGA AKMEN

Bayern Munich and Manchester City extended their winning starts in the Women’s Champions League group stage on Wednesday, while Arsenal and Barcelona rebounded from early-season setbacks with big victories.
One day after Arsenal’s coach Jonas Eidevall resigned, the team took just one minute to score in a 4-1 win over Norwegian team Vålerenga. United States defender Emily Fox’s goal after exactly 60 seconds set Arsenal on its way for interim manager Renée Slegers.
Arsenal lost 5-2 in Munich one week ago and Bayern impressed again, winning a rain-soaked game 2-0 at Juventus.
The statement win last week was Man City beating Barcelona, but the two-time defending champion was back in dominant form in a 9-0 drubbing of Sweden's Hammarby.
Man City rallied from an uneasy spell either side of halftime at St. Pölten to win 3-2 in Austria, sealed by an 80th-minute header by Mary Fowler.
Arsenal revival Arsenal’s start to October had been about as bad as it gets. Winless in two home games in the English Women’s Super League, including a 2-1 loss to city rival Chelsea; a 5-2 beating by Bayern; then losing the coach who helped it reach the Champions League semifinals two seasons ago.
But after Fox’s quick finish, Arsenal added a second in the 29th by Caitlin Foord after Vålerenga goalkeeper Tove Enblom’s save diverted the ball to the Australia forward at the back post.
The Norwegians cut the lead in the 35th when Arsenal’s Spanish defender Laia Cadina was robbed of the ball and Olaug Tvedten finished with a well-placed shot.
Arsenal endured tense moments in the second half until Spain forward Mariona ensured the win in the 85th, taking an unselfish pass from Stina Blackstenius. Alessia Russo capped the scoring in stoppage time.
Harder makes it easy Bayern forward Pernille Harder again scored late to add to her 13-minute hat trick last week against Arsenal.
The Denmark veteran pounced on a loose ball in the goalmouth after a corner in the 73rd. It was a near-copy of how Bayern opened the scoring in the 17th when a scramble in the goalmouth led to Linda Dallman’s volleyed shot.
Bayern’s two wins in Group C have bookended its first loss in the German league in almost two years, 2-0 against two-time European champion Wolfsburg on Saturday.
City keeps momentum The most spectacular goal of the four games Wednesday came within five minutes of Man City’s game in Austria.
Australia defender Alanna Kennedy fired in a powerful 25-yard (meter) shot that went in off the inside of the post. Man City then struck the woodwork twice in a five-minute spell as it looked to take control.
Then St. Pölten leveled in the 40th, from another loose ball following a corner, that Melanie Brunnthaler reacted fastest to with a close-range shot.
St. Pölten relied on a series of saves by goalkeeper Carina Schlüter before taking the lead in the 53rd, when Czech midfielder Kamila Dubcová received the ball with her back to goal and spun to volley a rising left-foot shot.
Four minutes later Man City was level when Aoba Fujino met a looping cross toward the far post with a first-time shot.
Barcelona back to its best Barcelona was imperious one week after being caught cold in the first half in Manchester. Swedish champion Hammarby, which beat St. Pölten 2-0 last week, caught the backlash.
Caroline Graham Hansen started the flood of goals in the 10th, and the Norway forward was joined by Claudia Pina scoring twice among seven players on the scoresheet. Alexia Putellas got the third with a neatly guided header.
It was not even Barcelona’s biggest win this season at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. Granada was beaten 10-1 in a domestic league game last month.