MANCHESTER City Women will take a slender advantage into the second leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League tie with Brondby IF after a one-goal victory at the Academy Stadium.
Keira Walsh’s 30-yard piledriver with just 16 minutes remaining was the only difference between the sides on a night that threatened to be a frustrating one for Nick Cushing’s team.
City, making their debut in the UWCL this season, had the majority of the chances, most notably Jane Ross inexplicably failing to score after rounding Danish goalkeeper Katrine Abel.
By the end the English champions seemed content with taking the narrowest of leads to Denmark for the resumption of the tie, with goalkeeper Karen Bardsley impressing as the Danes threatened to draw level late on.
The game started in a frenetic fashion, both sides were eager to get the ball forward quickly to test out the opposition defenders.
Brondby’s Louise Kristiansen looked to be clean through on goal as early as the 12th minute but she found the brave frame of Steph Houghton in her way, the City and Lionesses captain with an excellent last ditch tackle to thwart the away side.
Toni Duggan, recently recalled to the England set-up, had the Sky Blues first shot of the match.
Great win tonight-What a way to score your 1st goal @keira_walsh ? but its only half time.. Cant wait for the away leg! #ComeOnCity #CL ?⚽️ pic.twitter.com/vIdDKEyvxA
— Toni Duggan (@toniduggan) November 9, 2016
She did well to jink inside of Julie Tavlo-Petersson but dragged her effort harmlessly wide.
Full-back Lucy Bronze then had two chances to open the scoring, firstly when she overlapped Kosovare Asllani on the right-wing but saw her low attempt saved by the leg of Abel and then from the resulting corner where the 2015 England Women’s Player of the Year saw her shot parried to safety.
City’s lady between the sticks Bardsley was on her toes to deny Nanna Christiansen with the Danish side’s best opportunity of a half which was perfectly watchable but did finish as it started: goalless.
Nine minutes into the second period came what was clearly the best chance of the match.
Keira Walsh slid Jane Ross in on goal and the Scottish striker looked to have done the hard part when she skipped around Abel with consummate ease, but the 27-year-old delayed her finish with the goal at her mercy allowing Simone Boye-Sorensen to rescue the Danes with a last-second tackle.
As the side with home advantage in the first leg, it was City who felt the need to score and they were knocking on the away team’s door as the half wore on.
Toni Duggan couldn’t quite turn Jill Scott’s deflected cross-shot in before City’s number 9 blazed high after finding room 25 yards out.
The hosts’ pressure paid off on 74 minutes with a goal from a highly unlikely source.
Nineteen-year-old Keira Walsh had never scored for City but that all changed when she picked up Jennifer Beattie’s pass 30 yard from goal she turned and unleashed a phenomenal shot with dip and swerve that flew into the top right-hand corner of the goal giving Katrine Abel no chance.
Good 1-0 win last night and what a goal from @keira_walsh …. looking forward to the second leg! #ChampionsLeague
— Georgia Stanway (@StanwayGeorgia) November 10, 2016
Having fallen behind Brondby made more of an effort to net what would have been a valuable away goal but they found Karen Bardsley tough to beat.
After Katrine Veje’s scuffed shot fell at the feet of Boye-Sorensen, the California-born stopper was alert to make a smart save.
The away side turned the screw on their hosts in the final stages.
Bardsley did excellently to tip Veje’s cross onto the bar when it looked for all money like the Danish side were going to score a fortuitous equaliser in the very last minute of regulation time and City’s mindset was clearly to protect what they had rather than push for a second goal.
Some shielding of the ball in the corner flag by Izzy Christiansen and as much stalling for time as the referee would allow from Bardsley ensured the Sky Blues got home unscathed and would take a lead to Denmark for the second leg of the tie, albeit the narrowest of ones.
A one-goal margin of victory for City seemed about right and leaves the tie wonderfully poised.
Having not conceded on home soil, Nick Cushing will know that even if his side score just one goal in Scandinavia their opponents would need to score three, a number his side haven’t conceded in any fixture since August 2014.
From a player of the match perspective, Karen Bardsley was excellent, diving at full stretch to tip the 90th minute over-hit cross onto the bar was probably her finest and most pivotal moment as it prevented a gut-wrenching last minute equaliser.
But the last word should go to Keira Walsh. On a night when City’s usually reliable strike force didn’t manage to score she pulled out a wonder goal to give her side the win on the night and crucially the lead in the tie.
Teams:
Manchester City: Bardsley, Bronze, Houghton (C), Beattie, Stokes, Walsh, Scott, Asllani (Parris ’68), Christiansen, Duggan (Stanway ’75) , Ross (Middag ’85)
Unused subs: Roebuck, Corboz, Hourihan
Goals: Walsh (’74)
Brondby: Abel, Jans, S Sorensen, Sevecke, Jensen (N Sorensen ‘64), Nielsen (C), Christiansen, Kristiansen, Veje (Alful ‘91), S Larsen (Karstoft ‘81), Tavlo-Peterson
Unused: Rhyahl, Abilda, K Larsen, Brunholt.
Attendance: 1,296
Referee: Teodora Albon
By Jordan Davies
@jordandavies09
Recent Comments