Champions League

NIKITA PARRIS bounced back from a penalty miss to help Arsenal trounce HB Koge in the Champions League.The forward’s clinical finish and a Jordan Nobbs effort were among a second-half flurry with the Gunners thrashing the Danish giants 5-1.
Nikita Parris scored as Arsenal thrashed HB Koge in the Champions LeagueCredit: AP
Jordan Nobbs scored Arsenal’s fifth goal in the 5-1 routCredit: EPA
On her goal, Nobbs said: “I’ve been waiting for that one. When you play midfield, you want to score goals, and it means a lot to get on the scoresheet
“But I think the main thing is to just keep trying to perform well and help the team win whenever possible.”
The WSL league leaders went on the attack swiftly in the game’s opening stages with Parris forcing a save from Kaylan Marckese within the opening ten minutes.
Arsenal seemed certain to go one up in the first quarter after the Meadow Park ace was felled in the box by Cecilie Floe Nielsen.
But the striker saw her spot-kick saved by USA stopper Marckese in the 16th minute.
However, Eidevall’s side eventually got off the mark with Parris winning a free-kick.

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And Steph Catley curving the ball into the top right corner near the half-hour mark. 
The second half saw Koge, who won Denmark’s top-flight title last term, attempt to battle their way back into the game. 
And the hosts had a couple of decent chances to net early in the second spell.
These included an attempted chip from Maddie Pokorny with the ball sailing over Manuela Zinsberger’s crossbar in the 55th minute.
Pokorny attempted to engineer another forward drive down the right flank.
However, Arsenal countered with a move that led to Parris finding space to execute a spin before smashing in the visitors’ second with half an hour of normal time remaining.
Arsenal have moved to second spot in their Champions League group behind BarcelonaCredit: Getty
Caitlin Foord notched up their third after latching on to a rebound after Nobbs’ strike hit the crossbar.
A momentary lapse saw Steph Catley lose the ball with Pokorny taking advantage to pull one back for Koge around the 70th minute.
But late goals from Anna Patten and Nobbs saw the Gunners seal a win with the team sitting second in their group ahead of their WSL clash with Tottenham.
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CHELSEA made mincemeat of Servette in a devastating Champions League group stage display.  The Blues shredded their opponents’ back line with four goals in 20 minutes with Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby nabbing braces in a 7-0 demolition.  
Chelsea moved to the top of their Champions League group after trouncing Servette 7-0Credit: EPA
And fans saw Maren Mjelde return to competitive action for the first time since sustaining a serious knee injury in the Blues’ Conti Cup final triumph in March.
After the game, Player of the Match winner Kerr said: “It was special seeing Maren on the pitch.
“It’s not easy to be injured, everyone knows how hard it is, but we’re all happy for ourselves but more pleased for her.
“It’s been a long journey and you can see it on her face after the game. It meant a lot to her to be out there.”
Blues boss Emma Hayes added: “I’ve always thought that Maren is one of the most underrated players in the world. And I think you can see that in 20 minutes she played.
“She’s a quiet leader who has been the mother hen of this group for a lot of years.”
Before their away encounter at the Stade de Geneve, Hayes spoke of her desire for the WSL champs to be a ‘bit more relentless’ when putting games out of sight.

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And within half an hour her team brushed their part-time Swiss opponents aside with a goalscoring masterclass in front of a crowd of 12,782.
Melanie Leupolz opened the scoring in the eighth minute with Millie Bright setting up the Germany ace to slot in the Blues first past keeper Ines Pereira.
And it took just seven more minutes for Servette’s defences to be carved open again with Kirby netting following a through ball from Kerr.
The Australia captain got on the score sheet herself just two minutes later.
Her first came via Guro Reiten’s lofted cross to Leupolz who knocked it down in the box for Kerr to net.
The floodgates opened again moments later with Kerr notching her brace after receiving a diagonal Kirby cross.
The Blues playmaker bagged her own brace after Jessie Fleming darted into the box to tee-up her team-mate who was left unmarked close to the half-hour mark.
Melanie Leupolz opened the scoring for the visitors inside the first 15 minutesCredit: Rex
Kirby would later return the favour with Fleming finding space in the penalty area to wallop in Chelsea’s sixth close to half-time.
The second spell saw Hayes shuffle her deck with five substitutions with Sunday’s crunch clash with Manchester City in mind.
The changes included Mjelde for Jess Carter in the 66th minute.
But there was no let-up in attack from the visitors with Guro Reiten burying their seventh goal in the second half’s early stages before being replaced by Georgia Fox around the 55th minute.
Servette made a rare foray forward in the 72nd minute with Jade Boho evading her marker to cross into the box, but there was no one there to take advantage.
Fran Kirby was on target twice for ChelseaCredit: Rex
But the Blues held their opponents at bay to wrap up the 7-0 victory and move top of Group A.
Hayes added: “They worked their socks off in the first hour. I said to my assistants who were in the gantry you have no idea how quick that (performance) was.
“With the movement, the finishes, the execution of every action, it could have been 7-0 at half-time, so credit to the players.
“They really decided they wanted to go up a level.”
Maren Mjelde made her return to competitive action for ChelseaCredit: Getty
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EMMA HAYES reckons Chelsea’s next Champions League opponents may have to suffer to progress in the contest.But her WSL champs will not take Servette lightly.
Emma Hayes says her side will not underestimate ServetteCredit: Alamy
The Swiss top-flight side hope to reach the competition’s last 16 for the first time and also play an English team for the first time.
However, they are currently rooted at the bottom of Group A following crushing 5-0 and 3-0 losses to Wolfsburg and Juventus in their opening two group games.
Hayes, whose Blues are second in the group, said: “To become streetwise, you have to suffer, you have to experience something. Usually, that’s when you’re defeated.
“For them, as a team, they are not going to be at our level just yet.
“But they’re worthy of being in this competition, and they will no doubt learn from their two previous games.
“From those learnings, I think they’ll add even more in this game.

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“They are always a danger, unknown teams, that have lots to gain playing [at home] with a packed crowd. But competition really, really matters.”
Blues skipper Magda Eriksson added: “We know that any team in this competition can cause a threat if you’re not on it from the start.
“We have to be tidy at the back, we have to be ready for anything they might throw at us and be flexible tactically as well.”
Hayes, 45, revealed spectators are unlikely to see Lauren James make her Champions League debut with Chelsea carefully managing the Blues striker’s return to action.
Hayes says it is unlikely fans will see Lauren James in action against ServetteCredit: Getty
The Blues starlet, 20, named in Uefa’s ‘ten to watch’ female players list this year, was included in the Blues squad that took on Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Hayes added: “I’m probably leaning on giving her another 75 minutes on Thursday rather than the gamble for tomorrow because I think we need to just keep the long game in mind.
“Having her available for selection is great, but I think she needs more training days and more physical work.
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HOPE POWELL believes Jean-Luc Vasseur is facing a huge challenge in leading Everton to their dream of battling with Europe’s top sides.And the Brighton gaffer wants her players to enforce her ‘hard to beat’ mantra on the pitch with the team facing the Toffees and their new boss later.
Hope Powell believes there will be huge expectations of Jean-Luc Vasseur with Everton’s hopes of playing in the Champions League
The Walton Hall Park clash will see the hosts play their first WSL game under the ex-Lyon chief who took charge of Everton after Willie Kirk’s sacking following three losses from five top-flight matches.
Powell, 54, said: “I think Jean-Luc Vasseur has a big task ahead with the expectations quite high.
“But he has had that experience with the Champions League before and he has good quality players so I guess everyone will be assuming that he will fulfil the stuff he fulfilled with Lyon.
“The expectation was certainly to push on and I guess the future aim is finishing in the top three.”
Vasseur steered Lyon to their seventh Champion League crown and three major silverware wins in 2019-20 before the club dropped the axe on his reign after a trophyless run last term.
Powell added: “They have brought somebody in with a track record. They spent a lot in the summer and brought in some bright players with a good pedigree.”
Brighton, who are currently fifth and three points and four places above, Everton who nabbed two draws from her last three away duels with the Toffees.

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And the latest Opta statistics reveal the club have won nine of their last 14 WSL games with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City the only teams to have won more matches.
On Albion Vasseur, 52, said: “I have watched footage of Brighton, they’re a good side. We have to stay vigilant and prepare in the best way possible.” 
Meanwhile, Brighton’s Lee Geum-min could be set to make a return to the Seagulls starting 11 after coming on as a sub during Albion’s loss to Arsenal in the semi-finals of last season’s delayed FA Cup.
And the South Korea ace, who made her loan move from Manchester City to Brighton permanent this summer, has scored five times in her last six WSL appearances.
Powell believes Lee Geum-min’s form for Brighton has improved following her permanent switch to AlbionCredit: Getty
Powell said: “Initially when Lee came to us from Man City, she wasn’t in the best physical condition that we thought she should be in. 
“She’s worked very, very hard, she’s a highly technical player and has just got better and better and better. 
“We are really pleased that she chose to stay with us after her loan period. She brings so much not just on the pitch, but also off it.”
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