Whether it's cup competitions (the FA Cup in England), the Coupe in France, the Coppa in Italy or simply the top-flight games between Germany and Spain, it's been a week that will have an impact on this season's prize money. Continent.
A look back at another eventful weekend in women's football across Europe.
“Magic of the Cup” in full swing in England
The upset in the FA Cup round occurred in the final quarter-final game at Brisbane Road. Spurs played Manchester City and drew 1-1 before winning 4-3 on penalties.
Tottenham's improvement against Manchester City was evident, especially since their 7-0 victory in their first meeting at the Gioa Stadium last year. Still, that game in Manchester was a bit unusual, as every shot seemed to go into the back of the net. In each subsequent match (all in London), the Lilywhites continued to grow under Robert Billahamn, getting a little better each time. A win for Spurs in the fourth meeting may still be unlikely, given their 2-0 loss in the league and 1-0 loss in the League Cup, but it's not entirely impossible. do not have.
Despite losing out to Mary Fowler's early goal, the home side were noticeably better in the second half, although their 94th-minute equalizer came from a mix-up between City goalkeeper Chiara Keating and defender Laia Alezandri. , the Spurs deserved it. From there, the shootout became a battle of experience versus young players. A goalkeeper (Becky Spencer) is enjoying a long career, and a goalkeeper (Keating) is just starting on the path to top-flight football, but Spencer makes two stops in Keatings' goal, leading Spurs to an all-time goal. They advanced to their first FA Cup semi-final.
Everton keep trying
Everton are not a bad team. I have to say that every time I play. They've endured almost a full season with an injury crisis, making them arguably one of the weakest teams in the league on paper. However, manager Brian Sorensen still seems to be building an Everton team that can play for 90 minutes, as was the case in the cup quarter-final against Chelsea.
In the end, their period of dominance passed with a few wasted chances and once again Cat Macario came off the bench and ended up making the difference within minutes. The Chelsea forward was unmarked and well positioned to score from close range, giving Chelsea a 1-0 win.
Chelsea have had a disappointing season this year, but they have shown glimpses of their ability in a season that is far from vintage. Injuries to Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel have thrown off balance, but Macario's return from his own ACL injury seems to have been the perfect tonic. Whether sneaking a win or marching towards victory, they still find the all-important goals and that should worry their rivals in both the league and cup from now until the end of the campaign.
Man United move forward after long-awaited defeat
Brighton performed very well in their first match against Manchester United this season, but they looked particularly unlucky against a team looking to save their season. Indeed, Saturday's 4-0 away win was one of the Red Devils' most dominant performances this term, with performances from Millie Lawson, Nikita Parris, Lucia Garcia and Lisa Naarsund contributing to the tempo and The intensity tore through the Seagulls' backline time and time again. Everyone finds the net.
United's 2024 season was a bit of a slump, ending their WSL contention with just seven of their 15 points and losing to Man City in the League Cup. But this victory and safe passage into Tuesday's semi-final draw will give coach Mark Skinner and his team some respite.
There's some “coupe magic” in France too.
Since the Coupe de France was launched as the Challenge de France in 2001, Lyon have failed to reach the finals just four times – or… was The incident will take place in this weekend's semifinals against mid-table team Fleury.
Lyon have not lost a league game all season and are preparing for next week's UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, but their sluggish performance against Fleury led to frustration. After 90 scoreless minutes, the game went to a penalty shootout, but the team that was still so strong from 12 yards lost 5-4 and suddenly fell out of contention.
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The second semi-final match between Paris FC and PSG, played the following day, could not have been more different from the wild first match in the French capital, where both teams shared six goals before going into a penalty shootout. Ta. In the end, Gaetan Tinny and Clara Mateo missed out on the host nation, leaving fans in denial that a first Coupe win was guaranteed. PSG will be the big favorite from here.
And in Italy, “The Magic of Coppa”
Juventus, who were on the losing side after losing to Fiorentina in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals, may have been hoping for a quick turnaround with a change in management after parting ways with manager Joe Montemurro. . But in the second leg, and overall we were tied, we quickly got away from them. Two goals from Swedish forward Madelen Janosi and a penalty from Veronica Boquete, as well as an impressive performance between the posts from Katja Schroffenegger, ensured that Juventus were denied at every turn and had an unforgettable week. Concluded. Bianconaire.
Elsewhere, Roma's resounding 5-2 victory over Milan in the second leg of the second semi-final (7-2 aggregate win) set up a grandstand final between Italy's two in-form teams. set. The players seem to be having a lot of fun on the pitch.
Bayern stays on course in Germany
Bayern have been a bit of a Schrödinger's cat this season. Are they good or bad? Why not open the box and find out? In this weekend's away game against Frankfurt, Bayern took an early lead after some smooth attacking play that called into question Eintracht's quality, but they were unable to really put their opponents to the sword.
Then, as has happened frequently this season, the opposing team scored the equalizer. It was the best sustained pressure the Eagles have mustered against a strong opponent this season, but just when it looked like the hosts were about to shock Bayern, the visitors fought back with a quick counter, and Lee Schuler scored the winning goal. .
It could just be fatigue as many players have played more minutes in the back-to-back summer tournaments, but there's also a sense that coach Alexander Strauss' tactics are still too confusing. . In his second year in office, there are already suspicions that he is regressing after last term, when he appeared to have made promising progress.
So, is Bayern strong? Well, they're in first place with another win and that's all that matters to most people.
Salma can't stop scoring.
There are always Barcelona players who light up the pitch when they play. It doesn't have to be Aitana Bommatti, Alexia Putelas, or Caroline Graham-Hansen, but every game there's always someone who stands up and shouts, “Look how good I am.” ! ”
In this weekend's league match against the shadowy Real Sociedad, it was Salma Pararuelo who tore up the pitch. He scored four of Barcelona's seven goals, taking his tally to 13 this season.
After her breakthrough at the World Cup, we've seen Salma continue to develop this season, and she fits into the system very well. The playmakers around her consistently find Salma in the attacking third, where she is able to humbly attack the opposition defense. The 20-year-old's increasingly reliable goal contributions cannot be overlooked, even if he, like his team-mates, has woven himself into Barcelona's complex tapestry as Barcelona push towards yet another league title.