Khadija Shaw’s brace fired Manchester City into the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League as they maintained their perfect record in Group D with a 2-1 win away to Hammarby.
Shaw overtook Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie to become City’s all-time top scorer in the competition, scoring in either half in Stockholm to take her career tally to seven in the competition.
Ellen Wangerheim cancelled out Shaw’s 31st-minute opener at the start of the second half, but Shaw restored City’s lead in the 52nd minute and Khiara Keating came up with some key saves to see the game out for City.
FULL-TIME | QUALIFIED! 👊
🟢 1-2 🩵 #ManCity | #UWCL pic.twitter.com/SVbSnHdE4k
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) November 21, 2024
City, needing only a point to be sure of progressing with two games to spare, responded well to Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea which ended their unbeaten start to the Women’s Super League campaign as they maintained their perfect start in the Champions League.
But to do it, they had to overcome both a difficult start to the game and a strong response from the hosts once they had fallen behind. Roared on by another bumper crowd of around 20,000 at the Tele2 Arena, Hammarby began brightly as they sought to avenge their 2-0 defeat in Manchester last week.
Former City midfielder Julie Blakstad was proving a particularly tricky customer as she pulled the strings, with Cathinka Tandberg flashing a shot wide early on.
Wangerheim then got in front of Leila Ouahabi to reach a Blakstad cross but stabbed wide from close range.
City had only half-chances in the opening half an hour, but took the lead in the 31st minute when Shaw cut in from the left and her shot from the edge of the area found the net with the help of a deflection, although the Jamaican was then booked for celebrating in front of the home fans.
🤩 BUNNY SHAW, WHAT AN ABSOLUTE BEAUTY ❗❗❗
The Jamaican international rockets in City''s 2nd of the night!
Watch live for free on DAZN ▶️ https://t.co/dIfKpURfZv #UWCLonDAZN #UWCL pic.twitter.com/hryl6o9e9y
— DAZN Women''s Football (@DAZNWFootball) November 21, 2024
Blakstad shot just wide as Hammarby tried to level before the break, but instead they had to wait until three minutes after the restart.
Keating was unable to stretch to cut out Blakstad’s cross, and Wangerheim was on hand at the back post to turn it in.
Parity lasted only four minutes, however, as Jess Park played in Shaw who fired into the top corner from the edge of the area, her 12th goal in 13 games in all competitions this season.
No sooner had City retaken the lead than Hammarby went close to levelling, but for an outstanding double save from Keating, who denied Tandberg and then jumped to her feet to keep out an even better effort from Blakstad on the follow-up.
City had chances to kill the game off late on. Shaw’s cross found the run of Aoba Fujino with 10 minutes to go but the Japan striker’s shot was palmed aside for a corner.
At the other end, Keating had to make another big save to keep out Anna Josendal’s effort following a corner, diving to her right to stop a powerful strike, and City hung on for another three-point haul.
[(Vissel Kobe) Strength]: 1. Taisei Miyashiro has scored 7 goals for Vissel Kobe in the J1 League this season, making him the team's top scorer.2. Daiju Sasaki has contributed 6 assists for Vissel Kobe this season and is the team's assist leader.3. Vissel Kobe have achieved a record of 7 wins and 2 draws in their last 9 official matches, demonstrating an outstanding form.4. Vissel Kobe have achiev...
[(Deportivo Toluca) Strength]: 1. Deportivo Toluca currently ranked third in Group A of the Leagues Cup. Facing New York City FC who are 13th-place in Group B, Deportivo Toluca, who performed better, are aiming for the three points, so they are motivated.2. Deportivo Toluca have many strong players, with Helinho and Alexis Vega leading the forward line, Marcel Ruiz and Ricardo Angulo anchoring the...
[(FC Tokyo) Strength]: 1. FC Tokyo forward Motoki Nagakura scored a goal in the last Emperor's Cup game, helping the team take the lead. So far, he scored in both the Emperor's Cup matches, showing stable performances in this tournament.2. FC Tokyo won 3-2 over Urawa Red Diamonds in the last league game, securing a winning streak of two competitive games, which revealed fit form.3. FC Tokyo scored...
[(Columbus Crew) Strength]: 1. Columbus Crew currently ranked fifth in Group B of the Leagues Cup. Facing Club Leon who are in 13th place in Group A, Columbus Crew are aiming for the three points and are full of fighting spirit.2. Columbus Crew striker Diego Rossi has scored two goals in the last two Leagues Cup matches, with high goal-scoring efficiency.3. Columbus Crew have remained unbeaten in ...
[(Tigres UANL) Strength]: 1. Tigres UANL have won both of their 2 group matches and are at the top of the group. However, they are only one point behind the teams behind them. The team still need points to consolidate their current position and have a strong motivation to grab points.2. Tigres UANL striker Angel Correa scored a brace in the last game, helping his team secure all three points. So f...
[(Mazatlan F.C.) Strength]: 1. Mazatlan F.C. are 2nd with 5 points in the table and still need points to secure a qualification spot, indicating strong motivation in this game.2. Nicolas Benedetti made 2 assists in a row in the last game, helping his teammates score.3. Mazatlan F.C. won 2-0 over Houston Dynamo in the last game. They received 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in the last 5 games, showing...
[(Hamrun Spartans F.C.) Strength]: 1. Hamrun Spartans F.C. were eliminated by FC Dynamo Kyiv in the previous stage of the Champions League qualifiers and can only compete for a Europa League spot at present. Facing Israeli giants Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C., Hamrun Spartans F.C. hope to strive for a win to lay a solid foundation for the second leg and are highly motivated.[(Hamrun Spartans F.C.) Weaknes...
[(Houston Dynamo) Strength]: 1. Starting forward Ezequiel Ponce scored 9 goals across all competitions this season, the top scorer of the team.[(Houston Dynamo) Neutral]: 1. The two teams met only once in the last 10 years, where Houston Dynamo drew 0-0 with Pachuca in the 2023 Leagues Cup.[(Houston Dynamo) Weakness]: 1. Houston Dynamo lost two games in the Leagues Cup, ranking at the bottom of th...
[(Malmo FF) Strength]: 1. As the traditional giants in the Allsvenskan, Malmo FF are now 4th in the league with stable performances this season. In this Champions League qualifier against F.C. Copenhagen, they will take home advantage to go all out.2. Malmo FF performed well in the league and the Champions League qualification lately. They have remained unbeaten since July, receiving 7 wins and 2 ...
[(PFC Ludogorets Razgrad) Strength]: 1. PFC Ludogorets Razgrad striker Ivaylo Chochev has scored in the last two matches. The player is in good form and is expected to start in this game.2. PFC Ludogorets Razgrad defeated FC Dobrudzha 2-1 in the last First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) match and have remained unbeaten in regular time in the last five games, with a commendable performance...
- 1 Bayern Munich confirm Palhinha "transfer negotiations" as Spurs move closer
- 2 TIPS - Real Salt Lake VS Atletico San Luis
- 3 Arsenal legend backs Premier League rivals to become next invincibles and take prestigious title from Gunners
- 4 Daily Laugh - Raya nair
- 5 Man Utd, Newcastle turn to Stuttgart striker Woltemade
- 6 Transfer rumors, news: Chelsea face dilemma over Simons
- 7 Real Madrid Willing to Sell Rodrygo — But Only If Two Key Conditions Are Met
- 8 Man United Go All In for Benjamin Sesko! Premier League Giants Notify RB Leipzig of Imminent Bid
- 9 TIPS - KFUM-Kameratene Oslo VS Rosenborg
- 10 TIPS - Karlsruher SC VS SC Preussen Munster