💫 UWCL: Arsenal, Bayern, Barça through; Lyon and Juve alive; Benfica out | OneFootball

If international football has taken a toll on you, there is still some club action going on as the UEFA Women’s Champions League continued on Thursday.

Here is what went down.

Lyon stun Arsenal

Scorers: Maanum 45+1′ (OG)

The big match of the day saw Arsenal host holders Lyon and the French club stay alive in the competition with a 1-0 win.

It was a cagey affair with challenges flying during the opening half however the referee, more often than not, opted to keep the play flowing.

There were only five attempts during the opening 45 minutes, and it was a mistake which led to the opener.

Lyon’s attack threatened with a run forward, and poor defending from Arsenal resulted in Frida Maanum putting the ball in her own net.

The night would then get even worse for Arsenal, with Vivianne Miedema stretchered off the pitch in tears just before half-time.

Coming out into the second half, chances were slim for both sides though Arsenal maintained the majority of possession.

A late surge from the Gunners threatened to break Lyon’s back line, but it was too little too late for the hosts. Regardless of the loss, they move on to the quarterfinals, while Lyon will battle Juventus on the final day.

Looking at Group C, Arsenal and Lyon are level on 10 points while Juventus are third with eight.

Barcelona bury Benfica

Scorers: Silva 61′, Lacasse 81′; Paredes 7′, Pina 45+2′, Bonmati 48′, Crnogorčević 58′, Seiça 80′ (OG), Caldentey 90′

Elsewhere, Barcelona faced Benfica in Portugal, and another dominant showing saw the visitors win 6-2.

The visitors took an early lead thanks to Irene Paredes, yet after the goal, the hosts managed to keep Barcelona tame, and it looked like things would stay 1-0 at the break.

That was until Claudia Pina scored from the top of the box late in first-half stoppage time to put Barcelona in control.

In the second half, the Spanish club looked to ramp up the pressure and secured the win.

Aitana Bonmati, Ana-Maria Crnogorčević and Mariona Caldentey joined in on the action plus an own goal from Ana Rita Silva Seiça made it six for the visitors.

Benfica did, however, erase any clean sheet hopes with Jéssica Silva and Cloé Lacasse both beating Sandra Paños. The Canadian adds her name to the scoresheet for the fourth UWCL game in a row.

Looking at Group D, Barcelona and Bayern Munich will play in the quarterfinals while Benfica are eliminated.

Girelli stars as Juve thrash Zurich

Scorers: Girelli 2′, 45′ (P), 57′, 59′ (P), Beerensteyn 25′

Juventus hosted Zurich in snowy Turin and ran rampant in a 5-0 win.

Weather conditions initially delayed kick-off, but once the match began, the Italian club hit the ground running breaking the deadlock within two minutes thanks to Cristiana Girelli.

As time passed, the hosts maintained dominance of the pitch and some trickery at the near post from Lineth Beerensteyn doubled the lead.

Things would go from bad to worse for Zurich when Girelli scored from the penalty spot to put Juventus up 3-0 heading into the second half.

After the break, more sloppy defending from Zurich allowed Girelli to make it four goals in one night for the No. 10 as Juventus eventually wrapped things up 5-0.

The visitors finished the match on a sour note as Irina Pando was sent off.

Juventus now have their fate in their own hands ahead of their final game against Lyon. Looking at Group C, Arsenal and Lyon are level on 10 points while Juventus are third with eight.

Bayern dig deep to unlock Rosengard

Scorers: Tainara 38′, Lohmann 65′, Stanway 73′, Landenberger 90′

Bayern Munich had to dig deep to beat Rosengard, but a determined second half saw the visitors win 4-0.

The German club came out intending to control the play however the hosts showed they were ready for the challenge and successfully stifled Bayern’s attack.

It was a gritty opening half as such until Tainara’s header found the back of the net from a corner to break the deadlock.

The second half followed the same theme, with Rosengard keeping things a one-goal game by the skin of their teeth. Yet two mistakes then allowed Bayern to all but wrap things up.

A poor clearance from goalkeeper Angel Keziah Eshirendah Mukasa saw Sydney Lohmann make things 2-0 before Georgia Stanway stole the ball in the middle of the park and added a third.

Late on, substitute Julia Landenberger’s long-range strike turned things 4-0 and Bayern sit top of Group D ahead of Benfica v Barcelona.

Looking at Group D, Barcelona and Bayern Munich will play in the quarterfinals while Benfica are eliminated.

Friday’s games…