Most of the work was done yesterday, with 12 teams booking their place in UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16. Among them were last year’s champions (Wolfsburg), the now-perpetual favorites (Lyon), and a cluster of darker horses (Malmö, Turbine Potsdam). Unfortunately, Tobin Heath’s Paris Saint-Germain was not among them, her club eliminated after a scoreless draw with another contender, Sweden’s Tyresö.
Four more ties were settled today, though none of today’s victors are likely to threaten the tournament’s final game. In London, however, a familiar name put up an unforgiving result:
[MORE: Wednesday’s results in UEFA Women’s Champions League.]
Arsenal (England) 11-1 SSHVSM-Kairat (Kazakhstan); Arsenal advances, 18-2 aggregate: The 10-goal margin set an Arsenal record for biggest win in Europe, with 20-year-old forward Danielle Carter and Scotland international Kim Little combining for seven goals. Little’s hat trick brings her European total to 32 for her career, the 23-year-old becoming the 10th player in UEFA history to reach that mark. Arsenal limited Kairat to one shot on goal, Makhiyo Sarikova’s 91st minute consolidation chip.
Glasgow City (Scotland) 3-1 Standard Liege (Belgium); Glasgow advances, 5-3 aggregate: Seattle Reign star Jessica Fishlock was the midfielder spark plug for the hosts, adding an assist to goals by Suzanne Malone, Denise O’Sullivan, and Sarah Crilly. By the 56th minute, the hosts had all their goals, ending any hopes the Belgians could turn around last week’s disappointment in Liege.
Unia Racibórz (Poland) 0-0 Konak Belediyesi (Turkey); Konak advances, 2-1 aggregate: Much like Tyresö yesterday, Konak were able to keep a clean sheet on the road to preserve the thin edge they carried into the second leg. Though they were outshot 23-7, Konak becomes the first Turkish team to make this competition’s final 16.
Rossiyanka (Russia) 1-1 Spartak Subotica (Serbia); Rossiyanka advances, 5-3 aggregate: After putting up four on the road, tournament veterans Rossiyanka were expected to ease through the second leg. A fifth minute goal from 21-year-old Bosnia international Milena Nikolić said otherwise, even if Spartak still needed two goals to go through. The hosts tightened up, held Spartak to four shots on goal, and eliminated all doubt when Oksana Yakovishyn came off the bench to put the match away with a 87th minute goal.
The day’s four results round-out the Round of 16’s matchups. Well look at those in the next post