Kyra Cooney-Cross from the Matildas had an outstanding start to her Women's Champions League campaign, earning the player of the match honors as Arsenal secured a late 1-0 win against HB Koge in their opener. The match, highlighted by a decisive injury-time penalty converted by Mariona Caldentey, showcased Arsenal's determination despite a lackluster first half.
Read More
In other matches on Tuesday, Manchester City managed to draw 2-2 against Bayern Munich after coming back from a two-goal deficit. Bayern took a commanding lead with Giulia Gwinn scoring early and a follow-up own goal from Kerstin Casparij. Arsenal's Beth Mead cut the deficit just before halftime, while City appeared to be on the brink of defeat until Carlotta Wamser scored a late equalizer.
Mead reflected on the match, stating, "It was a game of two halves. The first half probably wasn’t good enough for our standards. But we showed our character." Arsenal, previous Champions League winners in 2025, needed a last-minute penalty to avoid a goalless draw against Koge, where Selina Cerci was fouled in the box.
Cooney-Cross, along with fellow Matildas Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord, played crucial roles throughout the match, with Cooney-Cross recording 103 touches and completing 74 of 87 passes.
Catley expressed her satisfaction with the team's performance, saying, "It was a pretty crazy last five minutes but that’s football. Credit to the girls, they kept trying, and Mariona was very calm in that moment."
Additionally, in other matches, Paris Saint-Germain secured a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid, while Inter Milan defeated Hacken 1-0, thanks to a fifth-minute goal from Haley Bugeja. Benfica claimed a 2-1 victory over Juventus, with Marit Bratberg Lund scoring twice.