Five Takeaways From UEFA Women's Champions League Matchday 6 | OneFootball

The 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage is over. After six rounds of matches, we now know the quarterfinalists and their seedings.

The four first-place clubs that topped their respective groups are Lyon, Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona. Joining them in the knockout rounds as the second-place qualifiers are Wolfsburg, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

The draw for the quarterfinals will take place on Feb. 7. The first leg of those matches will take place on March 18 and 19, and the second leg will be on March 26 and 27.

Although there have been limited upsets in the UWCL group stage this time around, there was a good amount of drama on the final matchday, with Arsenal securing a 3–2 comeback win against Bayern Munich and Chelsea turning a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 victory away to Real Madrid.

Let’s get into some of the things we learned from the action around the continent this week.

Weather, set pieces rule as Gunners beat Bayern

What a match to decide who would top Group C at Meadow Park. First, Arsenal jumped out to an early 1–0 lead via an own goal by Bayern captain Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir. Then, Viggósdóttir's center back partner Magda Eriksson scored twice (a goal on either side of halftime), to put Munich up 2–1.

However, within a minute of Bayren taking the lead, Arsenal drew level thanks to Alessia Russo scoring her 11th goal in all competitions. With just a handful of minutes left on the clock, Mariona Caldentey found the winning goal with an ice-cold conversion from the penalty spot.

But one of the biggest factors of this contest was the grueling conditions. Torrential rain poured down, and the players were throttled around the pitch by equally aggressive winds. It's no coincidence that the opening four goals all came from corner kicks, with the fifth goal coming from the penalty spot.

While neither team could bring their best soccer from open play, it was a great reminder of how effective both clubs' set-piece delivery can be. Perhaps a secret weapon for both teams to try and exploit in the knockout rounds.

Catarina Macario changes the game

With Chelsea trailing 1–0 in Madrid at halftime, and on the cusp of falling out of first place in Group B, Sonia Bompastor turned to her bench and called upon Catarina Macario. The American has been short on fitness since sustaining an ACL tear in 2022 but has exhibited flashes of brilliance.

Within five minutes of her introduction, Macario found the equalizer, and within 10 minutes she had given Chelsea the lead. Both goals game from the penalty spot, but the change in energy and impetus was all thanks to Macario. The victory sealed a perfect group stage for Chelsea, with six wins from six outings.

"I went out knowing what I had to do. I wanted to have a positive impact and give my all, to give my team more options and bring energy," Macario said after the match. "In the first half, Real Madrid had a great performance. I think we needed to have more possession, and I was prepared to change that. Looking ahead to the draw, it doesn't matter who comes. We are confident in our abilities."

Khiara Keating saves Manchester City's blushes

It could be hard to take many positives away from a 3–0 loss to Barcelona that ultimately cost Manchester City first place in Group D. But considering City's extensive injury list, and Barcelona's thirst for revenge following a 2–0 defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the group stage, this scoreline really could have been a lot worse.

City's hero on the night was goalkeeper Khiara Keating, who made an extraordinary 15 saves. The 20-year-old did everything in her power to deny Barcelona more goals, and there wasn't a whole lot she could have done to stop the three silky efforts that did find the back of the net. Barcelona attempted 32 shots in total as City clung on for dear life Wednesday night.

Keating has split time in goal for City with Ayaka Yamashita during the UWCL group stage. Both players have made three appearances. While Yamashita has conceded zero goals, she has only had to make seven saves. Keating may have conceded six goals in the competition but faced 25 shots on target.

Rotated Wolfsburg can't hang on

Even with the top spot out of reach, Wolfsburg traveled to Lyon and put on an admirable display losing just 1–0. Head coach Tommy Stroot rotated several first-team players, including No. 1 goalkeeper Merle Frohms.

Despite many of Wolfsburg's top players being away from the starting XI, it took until the 81st minute for substitute Danielle van de Donk to find the breakthrough for Lyon. The Dutch midfielder created the turnover in the midfield at the beginning of the attack before finishing the chance off herself in the box.

If City can't welcome back its injured stars before March, then Wolfsburg has a good case for being the most dangerous of the second-place teams heading into the quarterfinals. Especially based on this week's performance which showcased depth on the road against a top-tier team.

Goodbye 16-team group stage

The 2024–25 edition of the UWCL is set to be the last with the four-team group format. Starting next season, the women's edition will adopt the same "Swiss model" that the men's Champions League has been using for the first time this season.

In 2025–26, the UWCL will be expanded to 18 teams with a league format used rather than splitting the teams into smaller groups. Even with extra teams, there will still be just six matchdays. The top four sides in the league will advance to the quarterfinals, with places five through 12 competing in a two-legged playoff to advance into the quarterfinals.

The lack of parity in this year's UWCL is perhaps cause for concern over whether the new model will improve the competition. A big gap is opening up between the established elite teams in Europe and the hopeful challengers. On the other hand, with the group stage appearing tired this year, a fresh format does feel welcome.