Yesterday, I attended my first Women’s Champions League match ever. Real Madrid Femenino played at home against Paris FC Women on matchday three. This year, there’s more interest in the competition from Belgium, since OH Leuven Women are taking part. The team from my hometown qualified through the preliminary rounds and have started strong with four points from six. They also played against Paris FC earlier and impressively managed a draw.
Both teams are hoping for a place in the top twelve. A total of eighteen teams participate. The top four qualify directly for the quarter finals, while teams ranked five to twelve play an intermediate round.
Just like Real Madrid Castilla, the women play all their home matches at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium. After the Champions League anthem was played, a different one than the men’s version, it was time for kick off. It quickly turned into a very exciting match, with the ball constantly going back and forth. Most of the first half chances were for the home side. Forward Linda Caicedo came close to making it 1–0 several times, but couldn’t get the ball past a very solid Chavas. The visiting goalkeeper was extra motivated, as she was playing against her former club. The biggest chance for the team of coach Pau Quesada came when Caicedo dribbled past everyone before firing a strong shot, only to see the ball crash off the crossbar.
And as so often happens in football, if you don’t finish your chances, your opponent will. In the forty first minute, Filippa Angeldahl lightly kicked the ankle of Sheika Scott. The referee didn’t hesitate for a second and immediately pointed to the spot. The penalty was calmly converted by Lorena Azzaro. Quite unexpected given the flow of the game, the away team went into the dressing room with the lead.
In the second half, Real Madrid made several substitutions right away, mainly to bring more intensity into the midfield. From that point on, it was essentially one way traffic. Paris FC barely touched the ball anymore, but Real Madrid kept running into an extremely alert goalkeeper. For a long time, it looked like Paris were going to pull off an upset. When the referee gave six minutes of added time, the supporters found their voice again. The goal had been coming for a while. And finally, in the ninety eighth minute, it happened. After a bouncing ball in the box, it fell to Caroline Weir. The Scot didn’t hesitate and scored the equaliser, a ball the goalkeeper probably should have kept out. The celebrations from Los Blancos looked as if they had won the match.
The match ended in a draw. Real Madrid were clearly the better team, but for a long time it seemed like the three points would head to the French capital. What stood out to me was how the game flowed, with chances constantly coming for both sides. As a neutral spectator, it was great to watch. I can definitely recommend attending a women’s match in the future if you’ve never been.
