Why Manchester United Champions League win over Valerenga was “so special” for Ella Toone | OneFootball

Ella Toone. (Pedro Soares/SPP)

Ella Toone could not have been happier after Manchester United defeated Valerenga 1-0 at Leigh Sports Village.

It was their first ever match in the main draw of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and they won it courtesy of a first-half Maya Le Tissier penalty.

“Finally I’ve made my Champions League debut!” reflected Toone afterwards, who has spent her entire senior career with the club. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s so special. From being here right from the very start, to winning WSL2, winning FA Cup, finishing up there in the league and now finally starting our Champions League journey.

“I’m over the moon. It’s a club I’ve grown up supporting, grown up loving. It’s nice to be able to make that Champions League debut for United.”

Adding that she thought that United had dominated the ball against their opponents’ low block, she said it was important to get the competition off to a good start.

“We probed them, and had a lot of chances. We had that little bit of luck, but we got a penalty and Maya put it in the net. It’s something we can build on, learn a lot from. These games are very different to WSL games. So it’s about preparing differently and understanding the game, and the game management of it as well is really important.”

Ella Toone: We’ve built a platform

And Toone hopes the club will have plenty more Champions League nights in the seasons to come – as well as more trophies in the cabinet to add to the Women’s FA Cup they won in 2023-24 and their Women’s Championship title from 2018-19.

“We see the team, we see the start of the season that we’ve had,” she said, highlighting their unbeaten start. “It’s been really good, we’ve really gelled nicely. We’ve done well in the WSL. We’ve built a platform we can really build on. And obviously you want to win every game, we’re Manchester United, we want to win trophies, you want to be involved in these competitions, we’re footballers, you want to be playing at the highest level, and tonight was one of them games.

“We can be really happy with the performance we put on but we need to get our heads down, work hard and prepare for the next one.”

United are back in Women’s Super League action this weekend, travelling to Everton on Sunday, 12th October.