Alessia Russo inspired Arsenal with a second-half brace to overturn Real Madrid 2-1 on Wednesday, while Manchester United suffered their first defeat of the group stage.
Arsenal fell behind on a frigid evening at Meadow Park when Scotland international Caroline Weir struck just before halftime. Russo then leveled the score with a precise header over goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez and later converted a corner to seal the win, ending Madrid’s unbeaten run in the tournament. With six points from four games, Arsenal sit eighth in the 18-team group.
“It was a really important win,” Russo said. “We’ve probably not had the results we wanted, but to come here and get a result in the Champions League is huge for us.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s European campaign hit a stumbling block in Germany as they fell 5-2 to Wolfsburg. Fridolina Rolfo opened the scoring for United, but Dutch internationals Ella Peddemors and Lineth Beerensteyn turned the game around with braces of their own. Melvine Malard briefly brought United back into contention before Beerensteyn and Vivien Endemann sealed the win for the hosts, moving Wolfsburg into third place on goal difference.
Rolfo reflected on United’s struggles: “We had a good start and hoped it would be our game, but it wasn’t. We need to analyse and learn from this—this isn’t how we want to play.”
Lyon remained unbeaten after a dramatic 3-3 draw with Juventus, thanks to captain Wendie Renard’s stoppage-time penalty. The Italians looked dominant at 3-0, but Lyon rallied with goals from Tabitha Chawinga, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, and Renard, keeping their perfect European record intact.
In other action, Paris FC earned their first win by beating a 10-woman Benfica 2-0, while St Poelten rallied from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Valerenga, claiming their first point of the campaign. Barcelona faces Chelsea on Thursday, both teams aiming to claim the top spot in the group.
The group stage is shaping up to be fiercely competitive, with Arsenal and Lyon showing resilience, while United now faces a crucial fight to reclaim their footing.
