Manchester City started their Women’s Champions League campaign with an impressive 2-0 win against reigning champions Barcelona.
City were not overawed by the prospect of facing the Spanish giants and dominated them in the first half, as Lauren Hemp saw an effort cannon off the woodwork and Jessica Park was denied from close range.
Barcelona showed promise in flashes and it was Ewa Pajor who had the pick of the early chances for the visitors after pouncing on an under-hit back pass and rounding Ayaka Yamashita, only to be denied by a heroic goal-line clearance from Laia Aleixandri.
Gareth Taylor’s side eventually made their threat count as Naomi Layzell latched onto a Vivianne Meidema header to bundle her team into a deserved lead just before half-time.
City, who were spurred on by the sell-out Joie Stadium crowd, continued to push for a second after the break and came close through Miedema but her header from an Alex Greenwood free-kick span wide.
The suffocating tempo from the hosts eventually fell off as the game went on but the performances of Aleixandri and Yamashita at the back ensured the clean sheet remained in tact.
Manchester City’s Vivianne Miedema has a shot blocked by Barcelona’s Ona Batlle
Pressure continued to mount on City but they relieved it in the best way possible by doubling the lead.
Khadija Shaw was played through by Layzell before skipping past one challenge, rounding Barcelona goalkeeper Cata Coll and slotting her effort into the back of the net.
Layzell night tarnished by late injury
One of many standout performers for City on the evening was Naomi Layzell.
The defender scored the opener and registered the assist for the second, in what should have been the perfect outing for her and the team.
However, with just minutes to go in the game, Layzall went down off the ball and appeared to clutch her Achilles.
The 20-year-old was carried off the field by the medical team and now faces an anxious wait to find out the severity of the injury.
More to follow…
When are the Champions League group stages?
Here are the remaining dates for the fixtures:
Matchday 2: 16/17 October Matchday 3: 12/13 November Matchday 4: 20/21 November Matchday 5: 11/12 December Matchday 6: 17/18 December
