FCB Women held by Man City in Champions League opener | OneFootball

FC Bayern Women could only begin their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign with a point after being held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester City on Tuesday evening. The champions of Germany went ahead early on Matchday 1 of the league phase against their English counterparts as Giulia Gwinn fired in their first competitive goal at their new home of the Sportpark Unterhaching. An own goal from Kerstin Casparij doubled the lead inside half an hour, but City got a goal back on the stroke of half-time through Beth Mead. Ena Mahmutovic then saved a second-half penalty from Khadija Shaw, but Carlotta Wamer found a late leveller for the visitors to deny Bayern all three points.

Narrow lead at the break

Bayern started on the front foot at their new home and had their first good chance after four minutes when Gwinn crossed from the right, but Klara Bühl was unable to direct her shot on target at the far post. That initial pressure paid off after 11 minutes when the Reds won the ball back in midfield, Linda Dallmann burst through the middle and passed to her right for Gwinn to run onto and slot the ball across goal into the far corner.

Germany’s double winners kept going even after that. A Gwinn cross again found its way to Bühl at the far post, but this time her effort was blocked. At the other end, Lauren Hemp’s cross took a deflection off Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir and struck the Bayern crossbar. But the Munich Frauen soon doubled their advantage when Pernille Harder played the ball in from the right, only for Casparij to divert it into her own net. City found a way back into the game with one of the last moves of the half when a low cross from the right found Shaw. Her shot was blocked but bobbled through for Mead to tap into an unguarded net. 

Late drama in Unterhaching

Bayern looked to respond after the restart and came close when Viggósdóttir flicked a free-kick narrowly wide. Both sides struggled to find their rhythm early in the second half, with a number of fouls in midfield disrupting play. However, City were given an opportunity to get back level when Mahmutovic caught Aoba Fujino in the area, but the Bayern goalkeeper made amends diving to her right to save Shaw’s penalty and keep her side ahead.

Franziska Kett came close to adding a third when she fired just over from distance, but it was City who got the next goal to draw level when Laura Blindkilde Brown picked out Wamser in space to the left and the Germany international beat Mahmutovic into the near corner. Substitute Edna Imade very nearly snatched all three points in added time, but her header from six yards out drifted over the crossbar from Bühl’s cross.

Away at Gladbach and Benfica

The Bundesliga champions now turn to the start of the defence of their DFB Cup as they visit second division Borussia Mönchengladbach in the first round on Sunday (15:00 CEST). They then have the second game of the league phase in the Champions League with a trip to Lisbon to face Benfica on Wednesday (21:00).

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