Manchester City maintained their perfect start to their Women's Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory at home to Hammarby.

The Citizens sit top of Group D with nine points from their opening three games, with their latest result following up wins over St. Polten and 2023-24 champions, Barcelona. 

Gareth Taylor's side also extended their unbeaten start to the campaign in all competition, winning every game since drawing with Arsenal on the opening day of the Women's Super League season. 

Both teams went in at half-time level following a first half in which quality was at a premium, following a couple of half-chances for the home side.

The hosts went ahead just two minutes into the second half after a finish from Laura Blinkilde Brown, after Aoba Fujino had struck the woodwork earlier.

Khadija Shaw and Fujino both went close to doubling the lead, with the former having a goal disallowed in the 67th minute for offside after being picked out by Mary Fowler. 

Fujino sealed a comfortable victory for City, netting their second on 79 minutes to seal a win in the first meeting between the two sides in the competition. 

And City were worthy winners in the contest. They ended with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.75 from their 16 shots, though only three of their efforts were on target. 

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich were also comfortable winners with a 3-0 home victory over Valerenga in a game the visitors never looked like taking anything from.

Bayern went a goal up in 10 minutes, with former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder heading home from inside the box for her fifth strike in three games in the competition. 

Just seven minutes later, they were firmly in control of the match as Giulia Gwinn doubled their lead with a penalty after Elise Thorsnes had fouled Weronika Zawistowska. 

The German side dominated the game, with more possession (76% to 24%), more shots (15 to 7) and a higher xG (1.95 to 0.47) than their opponents. 

Bayern were able to add a third that their performance merited in second-half stoppage time, with Sarah Zadrazil sending a stunning volley beyond Tove Enblom. 

The result leaves them top of their group with three victories from three matches, three points above second-placed Arsenal.

Valerenga are bottom of Group C and are still waiting for their first point of the competition.

Manchester City made it two wins from two in the Women's Champions League, after coming from behind to beat St. Polten 3-2.

The Women's Super League leaders at least temporarily leapfrogged Hammarby to the Group D summit after Mary Fowler's late header sealed the points at the Generali Arena.

City made a positive start and broke the deadlock after just six minutes thanks to a superb 25-yard strike from Alanna Kennedy.

St. Polten goalkeeper Carina Schluter made a superb double-save to thwart Laura Blindkilde-Brown and Aoba Fujino, while Fowler hit the crossbar before the hosts levelled in the 41st minute through Melanie Brunnthaler.

They completed the turnaround eight minutes after the restart when Sarah Mattner-Trembleau found Kamila Dubcova, who swivelled and fired home.

However, the visitors were level within four minutes, as Fujino turned home Chloe Kelly's cross at the far post for her first City goal.

And City secured three points 10 minutes from time when Fowler rose to meet Lauren Hemp's corner and nod beyond Schluter.

St. Polten have now won just one of their 15 matches at home in the Champions League, with that sole victory coming against Zurich in December 2020 (2-0). 

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich made it back-to-back wins in Group C with a 2-0 victory over Juventus, who suffered their first home Champions League defeat in seven matches.

Linda Dallman put the visitors in front on 17 minutes at Stadio Comunale Vittorio Pozzo Lamarmora while Pernille Harder – last week's hat-trick hero against Arsenal – wrapped up the win in the 73rd minute.

Manchester City took a "step forward" in their European "journey" by beating Women's Champions League holders Barcelona 2-0, so says Gareth Taylor.

City ran out winners on Wednesday thanks to goals from Champions League debutant Naomi Layzell and Khadija Shaw at Joie Stadium.

Aitana Bonmati and Claudia Pina were among those to go close for Barca, but City held firm for a memorable win.

"It's right up there, definitely," said Taylor of the performance from his side, who have won two of their opening three Women's Super League matches, too.

"The performance in the first half especially was top. We knew at some point we would have to weather the storm and we did that tremendously well.

"I felt we could have been 3-0 or 4-0 up in the first half due to the opportunities we created and the pressure we put on them."

Taylor was asked by DAZN if City could claim European glory this year, and replied: "Yes.

"We have taken a step forward tonight. We are super-honoured to be in the competition and enjoying the journey."

For Layzell, it was a Champions League bow to remember.

"To do that, scoring and assisting when she was playing out of position against Barcelona, is unbelievable," Taylor said of the 20-year-old, who was signed from Bristol City in the summer.

"It is special. I think if you get to know Naomi then you will say it doesn't surprise you. She is very humble and coachable. She's playing in a non-favoured position at right-back because she is a centre-back. She will be on cloud nine."

While City celebrated a famous victory over European royalty, there was no such joy for Arsenal, who were beaten 5-2 by Bayern Munich.

The match was in the balance at 2-2 until Pernille Harder scored a 15-minute hat-trick as Bayern went on to snap a four-game winless run in the Champions League.

"It’s a football game at a high tempo and obviously we're very disappointed with the result and the way things turned out in the second half," said Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall, who is reportedly under pressure following a run of just one win from the Gunners' opening three WSL fixtures.

"We played a good first half. I think Bayern came out with a lot of energy in the second half and they were very effective on set-pieces. We weren't good at defending those, and that's why we couldn't get a better result today."

Jonas Eidevall says Arsenal are going to take a "full throttle" approach as they look to begin the Champions League on a high against Bayern Munich.

Arsenal survived a scare to qualify for the group stage of the competition, coming from behind after a first-leg loss to Hacken to win 4-1 on aggregate.

Having missed out on qualification last year, the Gunners make a return to the Champions League in a group that also includes Juventus and Norwegian side Valerenga.

Arsenal did meet Bayern the last time they played in the tournament, with Eidevall's side turning around a deficit to progress to the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory.

The Swede is relishing the test ahead of them on Wednesday and plans to push his team just as hard in the Champions League as he does in the Women's Super League.

"For me, the Champions League is very special," Eidevall said when asked where the European competition ranks in his priorities.

"We are in four competitions, but the Champions League and the league will always be very special to me and to the team.

"Right now, we are in a situation where we need to go full-throttle in both of them."

In the WSL, the Gunners are unbeaten, though they have won just one of their three matches so far, and were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Everton last time out.

Arsenal had 21 shots in that game, but only managed five on target, as they accumulated 0.74 expected goals, also hitting the post.

They have scored just three goals in the league this season and will come up against a free-flowing Bayern, who have scored 18 times in their opening five Frauen-Bundesliga matches.

While Eidevall was frustrated by their lack of a clinical edge against the Toffees, he hopes they can continue their staunch defensive play.

"[Looking at the defence] is the positive way to look at it," added Eidevall. "We are putting such high standards on ourselves, and we are so demanding on ourselves.

"When something is not working that becomes the focus, but defensively against Everton we played a very solid game, we were pressing really well.

"[Bayern] are really strong in counter-attacking. They move with a lot of paces and that part you have to look out for. They are looking really strong on their set-pieces so far this season.

"They are well-organised; they are a good team, but so are we. While they have strengths, they also have weaknesses, and we need to exploit them."

As we gear up for another edition of the Women's Champions League, the excitement around this iconic club competition is as tantalising as ever.

This season's tournament, which starts on Tuesday, brings with it new managers and big moves from some top players, as the best and brightest across women's European football go toe-to-toe.

Sixteen teams have qualified and will now battle it out to be crowned champions of Europe in Lisbon next year.

The tournament will welcome Celtic and Galatasaray, who have become the first teams from Scotland and Turkiye, respectively, to reach the group stage in this current format.

There are also debutants in the form of Swedish side Hammarby, who turned heads in the qualifying rounds by knocking out last season's quarter-finalists Benfica.

After trailing in the first leg, Hammarby managed to claim a historic victory. No team had ever previously overturned a first-leg deficit in a Women's Champions League qualifier.

Barcelona are the reigning champions after they beat Lyon in the final back in May.

The growth and strength of the Women's Super League has been reflected in this year's final 16. With Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all qualifying, England are now only the third nation to have three teams reach the group stage of the competition, with Germany and France having done so previously.

Europe's best are ready to battle it out, but who are the contenders, and which players could light up the 2024-25 edition?

The main contenders

Holders Barcelona will have a fight on their hands to retain their trophy this season, but they also have a strong chance of making more history themselves.

Barca are striving to become only the second club to win a third consecutive Champions League, and they will also bid to equal Lyon's record of appearing in five straight finals, with the French side having achieved the feat between 2016 and 2020.

Barca grew into a dominant force under former boss Jonatan Giraldez, who is now coaching Washington Spirit. 

Former assistant coach to Giraldez, Pere Romeu, will have to see if he can continue the club's quest for trophies, but the bar has been set high by that quadruple last season.

Teams will be looking for the chink in the Catalans' armour. Defensively, Barca were generally excellent last season, though they did have a slight defensive underperformance, conceding 1.6 goals more than would have been anticipated based on their expected goals against (xGA) figures in the Champions League, albeit when discounting own goals, that underperformance dropped to 0.6.

They also had the meanest defence in the competition when it came to clean sheets, keeping six to help them win nine games. 

The best sides in front of goal last season were, unsurprisingly, the two teams that reached the final – Barca and Lyon. They netted 36 times each across 11 games apiece.

Lyon, although under new leadership, are the most successful side in the history of the competition, winning eight titles, and they are difficult to look past as the team to beat.

Their free-shooting, free-flowing attacking system under former coach Sonia Bompastor saw them produce a whopping 270 attempts on goal last term, an average of 24.5 per game. Barca (237) were second for shots, and shot conversion rate (15.19%), meanwhile.

Lyon's xG was a tournament-leading 35.4, while Barca's 29.11 ranked second – however, Barca greatly overperformed their xG.

Indeed, their 6.89 xG overperformance was the highest positive differential in last season's competition, proving their finishing was of an exceptionally high standard.

It will not all be about Barca and Lyon, though. Two other former continental champions, Arsenal and Wolfsburg, are sides who will see themselves as ready to dethrone Barca and taste European glory once more.

Wolfsburg are six-time finalists and two-time champions, so they should never be discounted. Nor should Bayern Munich, who have won the Frauen-Bundesliga title in the last two seasons.

Bayern went out in the group stage last season, only winning one of their six games, but they should fare better this time around. 

And while they are yet to go all the way in Europe, Chelsea and Manchester City could also be forces to be reckoned with.

English trio to challenge

Bompastor led Lyon to victory as their captain in 2011 and 2012 and as their head coach in 2021, an incredible feat that nobody else has achieved in the tournament's history.

She now finds herself in charge of English Champions Chelsea and will be keen to lead her new side to their first Champions League title.

Chelsea, who reached the semi-finals, had the best shot conversion rate (15.38%) in the 2023-24 tournament, scoring 20 goals from 130 shots.

Bompastor will hope to build on her own success and knowledge of the competition and become the first manager to lead an English side to European success since Arsenal's victory in the 2006-07 season.

Despite winning everything there is to win domestically under previous boss Emma Hayes, this is a trophy that has evaded the Blues and they are desperate for success. They lost 4-0 in a humiliating final outing versus Barcelona in 2020-21.

Serial winner Lucy Bronze has been brought into the Chelsea fold by Bompastor, and a huge factor in that transfer was her experience of Champions League success. The ambitious defender will aim to become only the second player, after Conny Pohlers, to win the competition with three different sides, previously lifting the trophy with Lyon and Barcelona.

City, meanwhile, are appearing in the group stages for the first time since the competition's format was changed in 2021 and Gareth Taylor and his team will be keen to show Europe's best why they have pushed Chelsea all the way in the WSL in recent seasons. 

Last season's star players

Kadidiatou Diani was the leading scorer in last season's Champions League, netting eight goals, and she will be as dangerous as ever in Lyon's attacking line.

Those goals came from 4.77 xG — that 3.23 overperformance was higher than any other player in the competition. She was not only the highest goalscorer, but her finishes were a level above what would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances she had.

Ada Hegerberg is the all-time leading scorer in the competition with 64 goals. However, she underperformed her tournament-leading 7.33 xG by 2.33 last campaign, so there's scope for improvement for the 29-year-old.

Despite the xG underperformance, she still tallied up an impressive five goals to finish tied for fifth in the charts, along with Caroline Hansen, Tabitha Chawinga, Marie-Yasmine Alidou and Sam Kerr.

Lyon's Selma Bacha created the most chances in last season's competition (35), registering 4.12 expected assists (xA), though she only provided two assists in total.

Barcelona's Hansen (33) was second-highest for chances created, but led the way for xA (4.66) and assists (five), level with her team-mate Aitana Bonmati and just ahead of Bronze and Roma playmaker Manuela Giugliano (both four). 

Between the sticks, St. Polten's Carina Schluter was the busiest goalkeeper, making 43 saves, though Chelsea's Zecira Musovic boasted the best save percentage (81.82%) of any shot-stopper to play at least 90 minutes.

Jennifer Falk, of BK Hacken, was the best-performing goalkeeper when it came to goals prevented, however, conceding 10, which is 3.85 fewer than would have been anticipated based on the quality of shots she faced, according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model.

The groups

Four groups of four teams will battle it out to reach the knockout stages. There are some top ties to look forward to before we get to the last eight, and undoubtedly there will be some surprises along the way.

Group A boasts two former champions with 10 titles between them in Lyon and Wolfsburg. The two sides have met in finals of the tournament on four occasions, with Lyon victorious in three of those instances.

But Wolfsburg, who thrashed Fiorentina in qualifying, have lost some huge names over the summer. Germany midfielder Lena Oberdorf, Poland forward Ewa Pajor and Netherlands defender Dominique Janssen all exited ahead of the new campaign.

Pajor has made a fantastic start to life at Barcelona, scoring six goals already, and generating the highest xG of any player in the top five leagues so far in 2024-25 (6.56).

Roma will join the two giants from Germany and France. Their best finish in the tournament saw them progress to the last eight on their competition debut in 2022-23. 

The group's final side, Galatasaray, battled hard through the qualifying rounds and stamped their mark on the competition by knocking out three-time quarter-finalists Slavia to become the first Turkish team to reach the group stage.

Group B has served up a familiar matchup with Chelsea and Real Madrid being drawn together for a third consecutive year.

Dutch Champions Twente will bring an attacking brand of football to the tournament and should not be underestimated. They scored 20 goals to qualify for the group stages. Debutants Celtic, meanwhile, will also look to make their mark.

Group C could be considered the group of death, with former champions Arsenal, Bayern and surprise package Juventus, who caused the biggest upset of the qualifying rounds, going head-to-head.

The Bianconere became the first team to knock out Paris Saint-Germain before the quarter-finals since Tyreso in 2013-14, ending the dreams of English number one Mary Earps after her big move from Manchester United.

Group D will host the most exciting fixture of the group stages as holders Barca take on Man City in the opening game. The teams have met previously in a quarter-final in 2020-21, with Barca going on to win the tournament that year.

St. Polten have qualified for the fourth time in five seasons, and Hammarby have shown they are not scared of the bigger sides by knocking out one of last year's quarter-finalists Benfica in the qualifying rounds. 

The tournament promises to be exciting, with some intriguing storylines to follow from top to bottom.

Will Barcelona win a third straight crown, can Lyon extend their record number of titles, or is it time for an English champion for the first time since 2007? We can't wait to find out. 

Manchester City will face Champions League holders Barcelona in their first group-stage appearance in the competition after the draw was made on Friday. 

City, who were knocked out in first-round qualifying in the 2022-23 season by Real Madrid, will also face SKN St Polten of Austria and Swedish side Hammarby. 

Women's Super League champions Chelsea, who finished as runners-up in the 2020-21 edition, have been handed a tough draw to reach the knockout stages. 

Sonia Bompastor's side will face Celtic, who have reached this stage of the competition for the first time in their history, along with Real Madrid and FC Twente. 

Meanwhile, Arsenal, who sealed their spot in the group stage with an emphatic 4-1 aggregate win over Hacken, have also been dealt a difficult group. 

The Gunners will compete against German champions Bayern Munich, Italian giants Juventus and Norwegian side Valerenga in Group C. 

Lyon, who have won the competition a record eight times, have been placed in Group A alongside Wolfsburg, Roma and Galatasaray. 

Group A

Lyon, Wolfsburg, Roma and Galatasaray. 

Group B

Chelsea, Real Madrid, Twente and Celtic. 

Group C

Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Juventus and Valerenga. 

Group D 

Barcelona, Manchester City, SKN St. Polten and Hammarby. 

Arsenal defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 at Emirates Stadium to complete a 2-1 turnaround on aggregate and reach the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League.

Trailing to a Lea Schuller header from last week's first leg, Frida Maanum fired in a sensational 20-yard effort to level up the tie within 20 minutes of Wednesday's return game.

Stina Blackstenius powered in a header six minutes later to give Arsenal the lead in the tie for the first time in front of the 21,307 watching spectators in north London.

Jonas Eidevall's side missed chances to kill off the tie, but they saw out the victory to set up a meeting with the winners of Thursday's tie between Paris Saint-Germain and Wolfsburg.

Barcelona earlier booked their spot in the semi-finals, where either Chelsea or Lyon await, with a commanding 5-1 win over Roma at Camp Nou sealing a 6-1 aggregate victory.

Two-goal Fridolina Rolfo scored either side of Maria Leon's curler to put Barca, who finished runners-up to Lyon last season, out of sight before half-time.

Asisat Oshoala tapped in a fourth a minute after the restart and Patricia Guijarro headed in from a corner to complete the rout.

Competition debutants Roma registered a couple of attempts on target in the remaining 40 minutes, but it was plain sailing for Barca in their quest for a second European crown.

Salma Paralluelo scored the only goal of the game as Barcelona edged Roma 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League.

The 19-year-old curled a left-footed effort from outside the box to beat Camelia Ceasar after 34 minutes, after the Roma goalkeeper had frustrated the visitors with a number of fine saves.

Last season's runners-up could not extend their advantage in the second half, while Roma failed to convert a number of chances in the latter stages to pull the tie level.

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It's advantage Barcelona after a narrow win in Rome #UWCL

— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) March 21, 2023

Elsewhere, Arsenal were frustrated at Allianz Arena by Bayern Munich and suffered a 1-0 loss despite dominating proceedings.

The Gunners saw efforts from Stina Blackstenius and Leah Williamson cleared off the line as they peppered the hosts' goal with 25 shots – though only six were on target.

Lea Schuller's 39th-minute header proved decisive, with Jonas Eidevall's side needing a turnaround in the second leg if they are to reach the semi-finals for the first time in a decade.

Two of the favourites for the Women's Champions League will face each other in the quarter-finals as holders Lyon were drawn against Chelsea.

The 2021-22 runners-up Barcelona will take on Roma in the last eight, while Paris Saint-Germain play Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich come up against Arsenal.

The first legs are scheduled for March 21 and 22, with the return fixtures a week later.

The semi-final draw was also made on Friday, with the winners of PSG and Wolfsburg set to face the winners of Bayern and Arsenal, while the winners of Lyon and Chelsea will go up against the winners of Barca and Roma.

Eindhoven will host the final on June 3.

Frida Maanum scored a hat-trick as Arsenal stormed through to the Women's Champions League quarter-finals as Group C winners with a resounding 9-1 rout of Zurich.

Jonas Eidevall's side were already assured of a place in the knockout stages, but ran riot nevertheless at Wefox Arena to ensure they would be seeded in the last eight.

Along with Maanum's treble, Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius both scored a brace, while further strikes from Kim Little and Mana Iwabuchi completed the scoring.

"We scored some really good goals, and I'm happy to have got my hat-trick," Maanum told UEFA.com. "It's easier when you're surrounded by really good players. This is a nice early Christmas present, for sure!"

Arsenal were joined in the quarter-finals by Lyon, who are through to the last eight for the 14th time in 16 seasons after snatching second place in Group C with a goalless draw against Juventus.

Elsewhere, Barcelona ensured they advanced to the knockout stages as Group D winners following a thumping 6-0 victory over Rosengard.

Though already guaranteed progression beyond the group phase, Barca were in no forgiving mood as Asisat Oshoala scored twice with Mapi Leon, Fridolina Rolfo, Marta Torrejon and Irene Paredes also on target.

That took their goal tally to 29 - the highest in any Women's Champions League group stage - and meant Bayern Munich had to settle for second place despite Klara Buhl's double in a 2-0 win over Benfica.

Arsenal secured a place in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League despite a 1-0 defeat to Lyon on Thursday, in a game overshadowed by Vivianne Miedema suffering a potentially serious knee injury.

Gunners defender Frida Maanum put through her own net on the stroke of half-time to hand the reigning champions victory at the Emirates Stadium, leaving both sides on 10 points in Group C.

Jonas Eidevall's team knew they would qualify with anything less than a four-goal loss after establishing a head-to-head advantage by hammering Lyon 5-1 away from home in October.

However, the sight of a distressed Miedema leaving the field on a stretcher after appearing to catch her studs in the turf will provide cause for concern.

Miedema – the Champions League's top goalscorer in the 2016-17 and 2019-20 campaigns – has hit the net twice in the competition this season.

In Group C's other fixture, a four-goal haul from Cristiana Girelli helped Juventus profit from Irina Pando's red card in a 5-0 win over Zurich, teeing up a winner-take-all meeting with Lyon next week.

Meanwhile, Barcelona and Bayern Munich both ensured qualification from Group D, with the Spanish champions doing so in emphatic fashion with a 6-2 rout of Benfica.

Bayern joined them in racking up the goals with a 4-0 win at Rosengard, as Georgia Stanway joined Tainara, Sydney Lohmann and Julia Landenberger on the scoresheet.

Barcelona seized control of Group D in the Women's Champions League by thrashing Bayern Munich 3-0 in front of a crowd of 46,967 – a new group-stage record.

Second-half goals from Geyse, Aitana Bonmati and Claudia Pina helped Jonatan Giraldez's team maintain their perfect record in the competition on Thursday, as well as ending that of Bayern.

The Camp Nou crowd – which surpassed the competition's previous group-stage record of 18,341 by a considerable margin – had to remain patient for the opener, but the Blaugrana were good value for their win after Brazil international Geyse broke the deadlock.

The result moved Barca three points clear of their opponents as well as maintaining their six-point advantage over Benfica, who beat Rosengard 1-0 courtesy of Cloe Lacasse's goal.

Meanwhile, Arsenal maintained their narrow lead at the top of Group C with a 1-1 draw against Juventus, who remain two points behind the Gunners after surrendering a second-half lead.

Lineth Beerensteyn put the hosts ahead shortly after the break, but fellow Netherlands international Vivianne Miedema nodded home from a corner nine minutes later to keep the visitors top.

Reigning champions Lyon also remain in fierce contention for a quarter-final spot after cruising to a 3-0 win at Zurich, moving them to within a point of second-placed Juve.

Signe Bruun added two goals after Melvine Malard headed in an early opener, helping the eight-time champions to their first Champions League win of the season.