City sink Barca in Women’s Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal

PARIS: Manchester City made a spectacular return to the Women´s Champions League on Wednesday, defeating holders Barcelona 2-0 in the opening round of group stage matches as Bayern Munich downed Arsenal 5-2.

Both teams hit the woodwork in a lively start to the Group D clash at a sold-out Joie Stadium in Manchester, with City grabbing the lead when defender Naomi Layzell bravely scrambled home.

Vivianne Miedema headed smartly back across goal from a corner and a lunging Layzell reacted quickest to prod the ball past a crowd of Barcelona players. Last year´s Ballon d´Or winner Aitana Bonmati went close to an equaliser with a deflected effort, but Khadija Shaw grabbed a second for City to condemn Barcelona to a rare defeat. Shaw beat the offside trap with a perfectly-timed run to latch onto Layzell´s pass and rounded goalkeeper Cata Coll to clinch a memorable win.

“It´s fantastic from Naomi and Bunny (Shaw) finishes it off. It gave the players a real lift and we have to remember who we´re playing against. It´s a step for us,” City manager Gareth Taylor told DAZN. “I said in my press conference yesterday that I really admire Barcelona and what they´ve done and we try to replicate that.”