Women’s Champions League big guns enjoy impressive wins
If Lyon are to add to their record eight Women’s Champions League titles, stunning goals like that scored by 21-year-old forward Melchie Dumornay will help.
Dumornay’s chipped shot from the centre circle to beat Roma goalkeeper Camelia Ceasar on Wednesday night was the standout moment of a 3-0 win in a clash of two unbeaten teams in Group A.
Haiti international Dumornay, the competition’s young player of the year last season, had opened the scoring six minutes earlier in the 36th to help lift Lyon to three straight wins and no goals conceded as they seek a first Champions League title since 2022.
Canada international Vanessa Gilles sealed the win in the 52nd, while Matildas right-back Ellie Carpenter played a full game for the French visitors to the Italian capital.
“Melchie is a player who is amazing to work with; she is growing, growing and growing. But the biggest thing for Melchie, apart from her goals, is her contribution to the team. She does so much work for us,” Lyon’s Australian coach Joe Montemurro told uefa.com.
“We still need points to qualify mathematically for the quarter-finals. We look to another big game in Lyon next week, when I’m sure Roma will come back and will try to get some points. It will be a very tough game for us and we need to keep going.”
Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor, who led Lyon to that Champions League title three seasons ago, now has a perfect record of nine wins in nine games in her debut season with her new club.
Celtic pushed the Blues hard in Glasgow, and the 2021 beaten finalists had to rally for a 2-1 win.
Chelsea are three points clear of Real Madrid, who earlier in the day were inspired by playmaker Caroline Weir in a 7-0 rout of FC Twente.
Weir had two assists before curling in an elegant free kick to score herself. Defender Maria Mendez netted two headers from corners as Madrid followed up a 4-0 win over Celtic in their previous home game in Group B.
Australian teenager Daniela Galic came off the bench in the 79th minute. The Young Matildas midfielder, who played two A-League Women seasons for Melbourne City before heading to Europe last July, was booked five minutes later on a tough night for the Dutch side in the Spanish capital.
In Istanbul, Wolfsburg forward Rebecka Blomqvist struck a second-half hat-trick in a 5-0 win against tournament newcomers Galatasaray to earn the two-time European champions their first points in Group A.
With AAP.
#Womens #Champions #League #big #guns #enjoy #impressive #wins