Matchday Two of this season's UEFA Women's Champions League saw some more exciting matchups and gave us a taste of what's to come.
The UWCL table has Barcelona, Real Madrid, Wolfsburg and OL Lyonnes at the top with perfect records, but Manchester United also join them with a 100% record after two games. This week, OL Lyonnes superstar Lily Yohannes scored a wonder goal, Paris Saint-Germain struggled while Chelsea and Arsenal overcame their recent blips, and Belgian minnows OH Leuven continued to go against the odds.
We asked our writers Beth Lindop, Connor O'Halloran and Sam Marsden to answer some of our burning questions.
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How special is Lily Yohannes? And how impressive were the USWNT stars on show this week?
Lindop: Could the USWNT be developing another golden generation? Based on this week's evidence, it certainly looks like that could be the case. Yohannes' star has been on the rise for a long time now but the 18-year-old midfielder announced herself in style with a stunning first UWCL goal for OL Lyonnes against St Polten. The audacity to try and lob the goalkeeper from 40 yards out speaks of a player who knows she is already a special talent. Both her and international teammate Alyssa Thompson -- who also got off the mark in Europe for Chelsea with a strike against Paris FC -- have Ballon d'Or potential and, if their recent performances are anything to go by, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them fulfil it.
O'Halloran: There might be no better way to score your first-ever Champions League goal. That's partly what makes Yohannes' entirely speculative effort so incredible. Consider the context: 18-years-old, with the ball at her feet 40 yards out and all-time great Ada Hegerberg running into space behind the defense. She had no business trying that, but everyone was glad she did. She is not the first teenage sensation to deliver a goal from that far out, but it was hugely impressive. It is also worth mentioning that goal was not her only highlight-reel moment in the game as she also went on a marauding run through the St. Plten defense. Between Yohannes and Thompson, it was a great week for USWNT stars abroad.
Marsden: As the others say, Yohannes and Thompson took all the headlines, so can I shift your attention to Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce? She starred again in the 1-0 win against Atltico Madrid, making six saves, including a fine stop from Luany, to help her team earn an important three points in Spain. That's six Champions League appearances this season and six clean sheets.
Real Madrid and Manchester United are 2/2, but who has been more impressive?
Lindop: Purely based on the fact they are debutants in the league phase, I'm going to go for Manchester United. They are the only team in the competition yet to concede a goal and are showing the same defensive resilience that has defined their strong start to the WSL season. In the long run, however, I do think their squad depth -- or rather lack thereof -- could prove an issue. Real Madrid are quietly going under the radar and I think they could be contenders in this season's competition.
Marsden: You can draw a lot of parallels between the two teams. Both are relatively new sides, formed within the last decade, and stem from two of the very biggest clubs in the world. Both have had teething problems as they have developed, on and off the pitch, yet here they both are, perfect in the Champions League after two games. Looking at it globally, including league form, United's start to the season has been impressive, but Madrid have actually caught my eye more. Dismantling Roma last week and winning in Paris on Thursday, despite both opponents losing their two opening games, is more impressive than it may look right now. They have talent and depth. Caroline Weir was great against PSG. Given how hard it is to compete with Bara's dominance in Liga F, they may actually feel a deep run in Europe is more achievable. So, I agree with Beth. They're a real contender.
O'Halloran: You can make a real case for United being more impressive this season. For all that the team puts up with off the field -- it was only last month they lost their boots on the way to Norway for their qualifier with Brann -- but they have carried themselves superbly in the opening weeks of the league phase. It is that general perseverance that defined United this week. Seeing Dominique Jansen sent off in the first half while playing away in Spain would have been daunting. As manager Marc Skinner said afterwards: "Any opponent looking at us will think it's not going to be easy." He's right. European football isn't about being the slickest team in the competition. It's about finding solutions when it's tough and notching wins. United have done that as well as anybody so far.
What have we made of VAR so far?
O'Halloran: With VAR, there are always two sides of the story -- there's the officials' side, and then there's the fans' side. Any fan would tell you that the handball from Valerenga's Naina Inauen that handed Wolfsburg the winning penalty late in stoppage time was not "clear and obvious." Yet, by the letter of the law, you could argue it is. The same goes for the penalty that Chelsea's Sjoeke Nsken was awarded when Anale Le Mogudec accidentally trod on the back of her heel. Again, any fan will say that should never be a penalty. But VAR isn't there for common sense. It's there to ruthlessly enforce the laws of the game. Wherever VAR is used, that is the experience. The UWCL is just no different.
Lindop: For years, many in the women's game have been clamoring for the introduction of VAR and, ultimately, it will help to eradicate some of the high-profile refereeing errors we've seen in the UWCL over the years. However, the technology and the way it is implemented does have its drawbacks -- as we see regularly in the Premier League. The threshold for VAR intervention always seems to be changing. One person's "clear and obvious" differs dramatically from another's. Take Dominique Janssen's red card against Atletico Madrid, for example. The referee made the right call giving her a yellow card, but VAR intervened based on the severity of Gio's reaction, rather than assessing the tackle itself. There will be plenty of similar decisions that will frustrate fans in the competition this season, but I still think it was the right move to bring it in from the league phase.
Marsden: Beth's right, it was obviously the right call to bring it in from the league phase. From there, it is what it is. People will always complain about close calls, but it does protect referees against any glaring errors. I have always been in favor of a very high bar for the use of VAR, to the point that I can accept marginal calls which may be wrong on the pitch. I certainly don't want to see it getting involved in things like the Janssen challenge.
Are Paris Saint-Germain in trouble already? What's going wrong there?
Lindop: PSG made some shrewd signings in the summer but that doesn't always equate to success in Europe -- as the men's team can attest to. They have, admittedly, had a tricky draw with some more tough fixtures to come in the coming months. However, they are currently not playing like a team and look low on confidence, which could prove a costly combination if they don't find a solution quickly. They could soon find themselves with too much to do to reach the knockout stages.
Marsden: It looks ominous. Not just because of how they have been beaten by Wolfsburg and Real Madrid, but because of what is to come. It doesn't get any easier: Manchester United followed by Bayern Munich. Given how they're playing -- throw in a 6-1 defeat in the league last month to OL Lyonnes -- it's hard to see them winning either of those games. They finish with OH Leuven and Benfica, which are more winnable fixtures, but it could be too late if they don't pull their finger out soon. You can see why they were so desperate to add Barcelona's Alexia Putellas to their squad before the transfer window closed.
O'Halloran: There is never a good time to go on your worst-ever UWCL run, and after losing their fourth-straight game in the competition dating back to the 2023-24 semifinals, the alarm bells are ringing for PSG. Maybe it is the case that summer upheaval in their squad has left them worse off -- new arrivals Rasheedat Ajibade, Crystal Dunn and Olga Carmona have been unable to offset the loss of Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Korbin Shrader and Grace Geyoro. Whether it is a general settling in or something deeper, they need to find a fix quickly. Next month's away date with United will go a long way to answering this question. But you can already say they're in deep trouble.
Come on, OH Leuven couldn't do the impossible and qualify could they?
O'Halloran: It won't last. It can't last. Their next four games are as hard as they come: Barcelona (a), Roma (h), PSG (a), Arsenal (h). It is almost certain that we will look back at the opening matchdays of this league phase and mention OH Leuven as a flash-in-the-pan. Then again, the smart money would have said they'd have next to no chance in their two opening games, but that would not have proved smart. Two late goals to snatch victory over Twente (who last week managed a draw against Chelsea), shows they have some mettle. Under European floodlights, that can count for more than you would think.
Lindop: Momentum is a funny thing in football. Logic dictates that OH Leuven should have absolutely no chance of qualifying but this week's victory over Twente -- coupled with their draw against Paris FC -- will give them belief they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in this competition. Of course, the fact that they have Barcelona away next time out means the toughest test is still to come. But, if they can avoid a heavy defeat in Catalonia and then manage a positive result at home to AS Roma, it might just be all to play for.
Marsden: We can assume they will lose at Barcelona next time out; that makes the following home game against Roma huge. The most impressive thing about their European games so far has been their never-say-die attitude. They have had to come from behind in both games. That will give them belief they can beat the Italians. Presuming they can, that would give them seven points. Will that be enough? We don't really know in this new league phase. It will then be hard for them to get anything at PSG or at home to Arsenal, but they're very much in the running for a top 12 spot now. I'll optimistically say yes, if they can surprise Roma.
