Everything you need to know from Matchday 1 in the new UWNL campaign!
LEAGUE A
Group A1:
Austria 1-0 Scotland:
It was a disappointing start to the campaign for Scotland (who are currently under the interim leadership of Michael McArdle) as it turned out not to be the fresh start they were hoping for.
Scotland weren’t without their chances, however, as Kirsty Hanson was their consistent creative spark throughout the match. In the first ten minutes, Hanson robbed the ball from the feet of Austrian defender D’Angelo as they played out from the back but she couldn’t find any space as the angle narrowed around Zinsberger in goal.
A downfall of their own making only minutes later, Austria took the lead in a poor defensive showing from Scotland. They failed to clear the ball in the area and the ball was gifted to Lilli Purtscheller who fired her shot past Gibson in the Scottish goal.
At the other end of the pitch, Scotland won a corner around the 30 minute mark and the delivery looked promising for the equaliser. Defender Lawton was first to the ball but her initial shot was deflected. The ball then fell to the feet of Kirsty Hanson but her shot was too close to Zinsberger and it deflected off her body and up and over the crossbar.
The rest of the half continued end-to-end with neither team having any real chances in front of goal and neither keeper was troubled.
As the second half wore on, it looked more likely that Austria would be the ones to add to their tally first. Their best chance coming around the 80 minute mark when after a back-pass from defender, Jenna Clark; Lee Gibson took too long with the ball at her feet and didn’t see the looming pressure of substitute Viktoria Pinther who was able to intercept the ball. She immediately turned to pass into the path of Carina Brunold who had made the run into the box to support. Alert to the danger, Scotland’s Sam Kerr was able to get there at the same time as Brunold and thought she’d put the ball out for a goal-kick but the referee instead signalled for a corner (which subsequently came to nothing).
Scotland had one more chance in the final minute of stoppage time when Caroline Weir drove into the box but although Kirchberger was able to win it back and clear from the box, the clearance found its way to Kirsty Hanson yet again. The Aston Villa winger fired a powerful shot from the edge of the box but unfortunately, it was straight into the hands of Zinsberger and moments later the final whistle sounded.
Scotland will be incredibly frustrated they couldn’t take anything from arguably the “easier” fixture in Group A1 as they have yet to face the Netherlands and Germany in their upcoming matches. This win for Austria secures the top spot in the group and sees Scotland falling to the bottom.
Netherlands 2 – 2 Germany:
Over 11,000 fans watched in the Rat Verlegh Stadion as a brace for Lineth Beerensteyn was enough to make sure the points were shared in an incredibly hard fought match against Germany.
The OranjeLeeuwinnen broke the deadlock through Beerensteyn in the 13th minute after she was able to beat Knaak in defence and slip the ball through the legs of Ann-Katrin Berger.
Then, in first half stoppage time, it was Germany’s turn to find the back of the net. Lea Schüller rose the highest over Esmee Brugts to turn in Klara Bühl’s cross to make it 1-1.
Shortly after the restart, Germany took the lead after Sjoeke Nüsken poked home a lovely through-ball from Jule Brand, who had found herself in masses of space on the right wing moments before.
Beerensteyn then netted her second of the evening in the 65th minute after a lovely chipped cross from Chasity Grant, which allowed the Dutch forward to get under the ball and use her head to loop it over Berger and into the top right-hand corner. As the game continued end to end, both van Domselaar and Berger pulled off some spectacular saves to keep the game level despite both teams pushing hard for the winner.
Group A2:
Switzerland 0 – 0 Iceland:
Despite remaining goalless, this game was end-to-end throughout and Iceland looked the more likely to take the three points.
The first real chance of the game came from Vilhjálmsdóttir around the thirty minute mark after the Bayer Leverkusen forward took her chance on the edge of the 18 yard box, forcing the Swiss keeper, Herzog, into a diving save.
A few minutes later, the Icelandic number 10 registered another shot on target and this time Herzog could comfortably collect.
It wasn’t long, however, before Switzerland had their own chance through Barcelona B forward, Sydney Schertenleib, but her shot went flying over the crossbar.
Switzerland started the second half much more dominant but unfortunately for them, Iceland took back control of the game fairly quickly resulting in the home side failing to register a single shot on target within the 90 minutes played.
As the game wore on, both sides became visibly frustrated as the referee started producing yellow cards for an increasingly physical game.
As the final whistle blew, both teams will be disappointed at their lack of clinical finishing in front of goal; but it is a point both sides will happily take as it puts them 2nd and 3rd in the group respectively.
France 1 – 0 Norway:
Over 15,000 supporters packed into the Stadium de Toulouse to watch Les Bleus secure 3 points to top Group A2.
In another matchup that was end-to-end throughout, it was the Norwegian team who came closest to breaking the deadlock through efforts by Frida Leonhardsen Maanum and Ada Hegerberg in close succession.
It wasn’t long, however, before the home side were fighting back with Karchaoui making some very powerful runs down the right wing.
Impressively, both sets of defenders put in some incredibly strong tackles to deny any attempts on goal and it wasn’t until the 73rd minute that Marie-Antoinette Katoto finally put France in front after using what seemed like all of her torso to get the ball over the line from a well taken (and poorly defended) corner.
The final serious chance of the game came from Selma Bacha who attempted a long range effort, forced Fiskerstrand into a diving save. Luckily, the keeper got a hand to it as it looked to be just sneaking into the bottom corner.
Group A3:
Spain 3 – 2 Belgium:
Two goals in extra time from substitutes Lucía García and Cristina Martín-Prieto saw the world champions come back from a shock two goals deficit in what could have been a brilliant victory for the Belgian side.
Although the stats were completely in Spain’s favour: registering 35 shots and holding 82% possession, it was the Belgian Red Flames who looked to come out victors as the Spanish team lacked their usual precision in front of goal.
The Belgian team were able to make the most of their limited chances with two stunning strikes to take the lead.
Toloba broke the deadlock on the half-volley after a poor Spanish clearance in the 18th minute; followed by a delightful shot by Wullaert who fired her shot past Cata Coll in the 72nd minute after she beat a 1-on-1 with the keeper.
5 minutes later however, the home side began their comeback with Claudia Pina fighting her way through the Belgian defence to get a goal back in the 77th minute.
This rejuvenated Spanish side then added 2 more goals in extra time to secure the win. The first came from another Spanish substitute Salma Paralluelo who squared the ball into the path of García to tap home to bring the score back level at 2-2 in the 90+2′ minute.
In the final moment of 6 added minutes, it was Paralluelo again who took the initial shot however it deflected off the Belgian defence and into the path of Martín-Prieto to tap it home. The dramatic last minute winner securing the top spot for La Roja in group A3.
Portugal 1 – 1 England:
After a dominant first half, England were forced to share the points after a rejuvenated Portugal fought back through the efforts of Barcelona’s Kika Nazareth.
However, it was England who were able to break the deadlock after a refreshing display of football. After a powerful ball to switch up play, Lauren James found Lucy Bronze in space high up on the right-hand side of the pitch. The defender then took a controlled touch before playing a lovely scooping ball over the head of Catarina Amado to find Alessa Russo in the box. The Arsenal striker was then able to tap it home for 0-1 in the 15th minute.
Portugal had their best chance of the half just after the 40th minute as Tatiana Pinto intercepted the ball in midfield and delivered the pass for Jéssica Silva to run onto but the shot ultimately came to nothing.
As the second half got underway, apart from Lauren James’ attempt in the opening few minutes, the game dropped away from England as the Lionesses struggled against Portugal’s second half tactical changes. The momentum had now shifted in Portugal’s favour and their relentlessness finally paid off as Nazareth found the equaliser in the 76th minute. A thunderous shot that sailed past Mary Earps into the top right-hand corner. The rest of the match continued end-to-end but neither team could find the winner.
Although not the three points Wiegman and the squad would have wanted, it’s points on the board in Group A3. This draw sees them sit in second place after Spain narrowly won their game against Belgium to take the top spot.
Group A4:
Italy 1 – 0 Wales:
A 5th minute goal from Barbara Bonansea was enough for Italy to take second place in Group A4 after match day one. The Juventus forward rose highest to flick the ball into the net with the back of her head after Manuela Giugliano delivered her corner.
The home side faced a Welsh team who surprisingly didn’t look out of their depth despite being 17 places behind the Azzurre in the world rankings.
The Italians will ultimately be frustrated that they weren’t more clinical in front of goal (registering 22 shots compared to Wales’ 8) with shots on target from at least 5 different players with Caruso and Cantore coming closest to adding to the tally in the first half.
Although Wales didn’t particularly threaten Giuliani in the Italian goal, their most clear-cut opportunity came just after the 20th minute when Angharad James’ curling shot hit the woodwork.
The remainder of the match saw a relentless attacking tirade from the Azzurre and each shot (particularly those efforts from Piemonte and Cambiaghi in the final ten minutes) went wanting thanks to some superb goalkeeping by Wales’ Olivia Clark.
Although Wales didn’t get the win, this match against a top opponent gave them a promising foundation going into their remaining fixtures. There was even time for boss Rhian Wilkinson give some younger players experience before the Euros this summer with Mared Griffiths getting her first cap for Wales and Mayzee Davies getting the nod for her first start too.
Elsewhere, it was a special night for defender Hayley Ladd as she became only the tenth person (in either the men’s or women’s national team) to get 100 caps for their country.
Denmark 1 – 2 Sweden:
A stunning goal from Fridolina Rolfö in the 54th minute was enough to earn Sweden their place at the top of Group A4 on Friday evening.
The Swedes started their domination early with Linda Sembrant managing to tap home after a messy goal-mouth scramble in the 6th minute. This came after a lovely cross into the box by Hanna Bennison which unfortunately had spilled out of the hands of Danish keeper Østergaard for Sembrant to see over the line.
10 minutes later, Denmark looked hopeful to come back into the game as the referee blew for a penalty as it was deemed the ball had hit Sweden’s Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s arm on its way into the box. Denmark captain, Pernille Harder, then stepped up to the spot and was able to convert for the equaliser as she sent the keeper the wrong way.
It took only 10 minutes after the restart for Sweden to take the lead once again with a beautiful goal from the FC Barcelona forward, Rolfö.
Starting from a long ball over the top to find Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius out on the left wing, she took a single touch to lay the ball of for Rolfö to run onto. The striker was surprisingly unmarked and drove forward onto the edge of the box, firing the ball with her left foot across goal and out of the reach of the keeper into the top right-hand corner.
Sweden then continued their domination for the remainder of the match and managed to nullify any rare chance Denmark had on goal.
LEAGUE B
Group B1:
Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 – 0 Romania:
At the end of the 2024 campaign, Romania were promoted into League B and this proved to be a baptism of fire against a team who although are equal on points in the UEFA rankings, are 15 places apart in the FIFA rankings.
As the first half wore on, there was nothing to separate the two sides until moments before the 40th minute when Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ekić delivered a corner which took a deflection off Romanian midfielder, Florentina Olar, and went into the back of the net for 1-0.
The second half began and Marija Milinković continued the Bosnian dominance after she was able to convert another Ekić freekick for 2-0.
Although Romania tried to get back into game (coming closest with two missed opportunities for midfielder Vătafu around the 75th minute) Hodžić in the Bosnian goal wasn’t particularly tested.
On the counter, it was forward Minela Gačanica who got Bosnia’s third in the 79th minute, followed swiftly by the fourth and final goal of the evening through Sofija Krajšumović in the 86th minute.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, were not satisfied with their four goal advantage as Čule, Gačanica and Taslidža all having shots in the final moments of stoppage time to add to their tally.
The resounding victory sees Bosnia and Herzegovina take the top spot in Group B1.
Poland 2 – 0 Northern Ireland:
It was a tough evening for a Northern Ireland side who went two goals down within the first 20 minutes on Friday evening.
Although Tanya Oxtoby’s side looked to settle into the game in the second half, it was only Lauren Wade’s dangerous cross in the first half that came close to a chance for the visitors.
Poland were a force to be reckoned with, however, registering 18 shots throughout the match compared to Northern Ireland’s 5. However, the scoreline could have been much higher as the home side started their dominance early and had a goal ruled out for offside in the opening 10 minutes.
From then on, it was one-way traffic with the home side having the majority of the chances. Particularly through Spanish-born Natalia Padilla-Bidas and FC Barcelona striker, Ewa Pajor, who had successive attempts on goal in the 14th minute, both having to be deflected by keeper, Jackie Burns.
The deadlock, however, was finally broken in the 17th minute when Ewelina Kamczyk lobbed the ball over the head of Burns from the edge of the 6 yard box. Getting into their rhythm, Poland doubled their lead a mere three minutes later when Adriana Achcińska tapped in Pajor’s cross into the back of the net.
For the remainder of the game, it was Poland’s to lose as chance after chance came calling in front of Burns’ goal, with the keeper making 6 huge saves to deny Poland a higher scoreline. The 2-0 advantage puts Poland in second place in Group B1.
Group B2:
Greece 1 – 2 Slovenia:
400 spectators came out to the Stadio Thódoros Vardinoyánnis in Crete to watch an incredibly tense end-to-end game but it was the visitors who created the most clear-cut chances and ultimately came out the victors.
Against the run of play, it was Everton’s Veatriki Sarri who opened the scoring for the home side just before the 30 minute mark after a lovely ball from Eleni Kakambouki. Greece enjoyed a short period of possession, however, it wasn’t long before Slovenia equalised through midfielder, Maja Sternad in the 33rd minute.
As the second half began, Slovenia were clearly pushing for the winner as
Giannakouli was forced into a save minutes after the restart after Eržen took her chance in front of goal.
There was no let up for the home side as the half wore on, as a relentless wave of Slovenian attacks finally ended up in the second goal as Kramžar tapped into the back of the net, after Giannakouli had saved the initial shot.
Greece were not out of the game however, as the last chance of the game came from substitute midfielder, Ionna Papatheodorou, whose chance forced the Slovenian keeper into a diving save.
The victory sees Slovenia top group B2 after they were promoted from League C at the end of the 2024 campaign.
Republic of Ireland 1 – 0 Türkiye:
It was a hard fought victory for the Republic of Ireland and their new manager Carla Ward in front of 8000 fans at the Tallaght Stadium on Friday night.
Early chances from Ruesha Littlejohn and captain Denise O’Sullivan came close to breaking the deadlock but it wasn’t until Kyra Carusa’s stoppage time looping header over Turkish keeper, Akgoz, that ensured the victory for the home side.
As the second half began, it was clear the visitors were going to continue to frustrate the Irish team as they not only limited the home team’s chances in front of goal but they were slowly growing more confident in front of goal themselves. The first real chance appeared for midfielder Elif Keskin whose shot forced Courtney Brosnan into a diving save just before the 70th minute.
Deep into stoppage time, it was arguably Turkey’s best possession of play and the closest they came to a dramatic equaliser. In the 90th minute, Ebru Topcu’s tried her luck from range but it sailed high over the crossbar. Moments later, Basak Incinozbebek headed the ball into the path of fellow substitute, Arzu Karabulut, but her chance went just wide of the target.
The ‘Girls in Green’ then breathed a hugh sigh of relief as the final whistle blew, securing 2nd place in Group B2 behind Slovenia.
Group B3:
Belarus 0-2 Hungary:
In the opening ten minutes, there wasn’t much to separate either side as both teams created tame chances which each keeper caught comfortably. It wasn’t until the 25th minute that Hungary settled into the game and Csiki came the closest when she took a direct free-kick that hit the side netting.
Ten minutes after the restart, Csiki finally got her name on the scoresheet as she fired a beautiful curling ball into the top left-hand corner to beat the Belarusian keeper.
It wasn’t long before the home side had their best chance to equalise as Szabó stepped up to take a direct free-kick and the Hungarian defence struggled to clear the danger. Belarus then had a rare chance in front of goal as Karyna Alkhovik tried a shot from distance but it lacked enough power to trouble Brzykcy in goal as she comfortably collected.
It was then Hungary’s Szabó who stepped up to take yet another free-kick as she passed the ball into space on the left wing. Csányi then took a touch, turned to shake off the Belarus defenders and fired the ball with her left foot. Unfortunately for Voskobovich in the Belarusian goal, even though she got a hand to it, it held too much power and the ball deflected and dropped into the bottom right-hand corner of the net for 0-2.
With ten minutes left to go, Belarus struggled to make the most of their sparse opportunities; as notably, a curling set piece landed in a perfect position in the box but no one was there to tap it home. The rest of the game continued without any real chance for either team and Hungary will be incredibly proud they managed to net two goals to take the top spot in Group B3.
Serbia 1 – 0 Finland:
In the first half, it was the visitors who looked the most promising as
Linda Sällström and Ria Öling both had chances to break the deadlock but Serbian keeper Milica Kostić was alert to the danger and saved both efforts comfortably.
Five minutes later, it was the home team applying pressure in front of goal as
Stokić took a shot which tested Korpela. The keeper initially spilled the ball but luckily she was able to capture the loose ball after it took another deflection back into her hands.
However, it was minutes before the half-time whistle which changed the momentum of the match. Serbia were enjoying a positive spell of possession and had launched yet another attack on goal. Stokić had found Filipović in space down the left wing; however, as she entered the 18 yard box she was fouled by Finland’s Oona Siren and the referee blew for a penalty. It was then Jovana Damnjanović, the Bayern Munich striker who stepped up and fired the ball into the back of the net.
As the second half began, Finland started positively with striker Sällström shooting from distance within minutes of the restart. With Serbia dominating possession, the visitors were reduced to trying their luck from outside of the box with Franssi and Ahtinen trying this twice in quick succession just after the 70th minute.
The last roll of the dice for an equaliser came deep in stoppage time in the 90+4th minute, when Sevenius made a driving run into the box but the Serbian defence knocked the ball out of play. However, the referee decided it was a goalkick, rather than listening to the Finnish calls for a corner.
After being relegated from League A after the 2024 campaign, Finland will feel frustrated they couldn’t find any reward from this first fixture.
Group B4:
Albania 1 – 2 Ukraine:
From the beginning, Ukraine came out on the attack registering their first shot from Andrukhiv just after the five minute mark which forced Albania’s keeper, Rexhepi, into a diving save.
It wasn’t until the 20 minute mark when Ukraine entered another positive period of play. Beginning with defender Korsun who delivered a lovely curling ball into the box for Kravchuk. She tried to head the ball into the back of the net but unfortunately she couldn’t get the right angle as it went just wide.
Moments later, Khimich’s had another chance as her cross dropped just too late and landed on the roof of the net. This relentless attack paid off, however, as just after the 30 minute mark, Ukraine were able to convert Andrukhiv’s corner with a Ovdiychuk to tap in to make it 0-1.
The rest of the half continued in the same way, with Albania having their first real chance in front of goal in stoppage time; courtesy of a shot by Berisha which was unfortunately dragged wide.
Ukraine showed no signs of slowing down as they found their second of the afternoon, minutes after the restart. Ovdiychuk won the ball back on the right wing and crossed a precision ball into the box for half-time substitute forward, Nicole Koslova, she could then use her head to turn into the back of the net making it 0-2.
As the game progressed it continued end-to-end with Albania coming ever closer to threatening Keliushyk in the Ukrainian goal. However, it wasn’t until the 90+4th minute when Albania finally received their consolation prize. Yet again it was Fortesa Berisha with the effort and this time she was able to turn in a powerful, curling ball beyond the keeper’s reach.
This result sees Ukraine take the second spot in the group while Albania take third place.
Croatia 0 – 4 Czechia:
After being relegated from League A at the end of the 2024 campaign, Czechia had a point to prove and certainly did so in this very convincing 0-4 win.
In the first 10 minutes, Czechia had registered four shots on target with Michaela Khýrová coming the closest when she hit the side netting.
Moments later, it was defender, Cahynová, who turned provider as she crossed with pin-point precision into the box for Galatasaray striker, Andrea Stašková, to turn the ball into the back of the net for 0-1.
It wasn’t long before Khýrová finally added her name to the scoresheet after she tapped in the rebound from Bačić’s parry (to her original shot) just before the 20 minute mark.
Around the 25 minute mark, Croatia finally hit their stride as they had their own chances on goal. The most notable of these came from Marković who made a driving run down the right wing and crossing the ball for Rudelić who arrived into the box just moments too late to make anything of the chance.
However, Czechia didn’t take long before they were back on top with their third goal coming moments before 30 minutes were on the clock. Khýrová found herself in space down the left wing and sent a looping cross into the box over the heads of both the Croatian defenders and the keeper, finding Krejčiříková completely unmarked to nod home at the far post.
The final goal of the game then came in the 62nd minute when Khýrová (who had a fantastic game throughout) provided yet another assist when she picked out Svitková in the box. The forward danced through three Croatian defenders before finally shooting with her right foot and finding the bottom right-hand corner for 0-4.
With twenty minutes to go, Croatia came their closest to getting one goal back when Rudelić’s shot hit the woodwork and Vračević’s subsequent shot missed the target. In the final minute, it Czechia nearly got their fifth of the game as Szewieczková stepped up to take a direct free-kick but their shot was blocked by Bačić in goal.
The resounding victory sees Czechia top group B4 with a +2 goal difference.
LEAGUE C
Group C1:
Moldova 1 – 0 Gibraltar:
A dramatic 93rd minute goal from Moldova’s Carolina Țabur, broke the Gibraltarian dream of getting a point from their nation’s first ever competitive match.
Throughout the game, although Moldova had the better chances, Gibraltar certainly didn’t look out of their depth and even had their own chance to break the deadlock from a set piece within the first ten minutes.
On the counter, Moldova’s Claudia Chiper who looked to be the most dangerous on the ball with three attempts on goal all inside 5 minutes. Each attempt called Gibraltarian keeper, Caitlin Robba, into action but she was able to deflect the danger comfortably.
As the game wore on, Gibraltar grew into a better rhythm and Joelle Gilbert had her first chance on goal with a long range effort in the 40th minute. Unfortunately, it fell straight into the hands of keeper, Munteanu for a comfortable save.
In the opening part of the second half, both teams tried to create more chances but neither possessed that clinical finish to trouble either keeper.
With ten minutes left to go of regular time, a glimmer of hope appeared for the debutant side; as Gibraltar’s Gilbert crossed a lovely ball into the box which Chapman was able to run onto. She took the strike with her left foot, however, she connected with it at slightly the wrong angle and the chance hit the crossbar!
In a lovely period of play for the visitors, it wasn’t long before Pizzarello had her own chance in front of goal but the shot went just wide.
In the dying moments of regular time, Chapman once again looked like she could break the deadlock for Gibraltar but the keeper was able to come out and save comfortably.
The home side certainly weren’t out of the game, however, as the final few moments of the game were certainly the most dramatic.
It was initially Moldovan midfielder Doiban, who was found in space on the left wing, as she then cut inside and took her shot. The attempt then deflected off a Gibraltarian defender and onto the crossbar!
Moments later, Carolina Țabur’s corner created chaos as the ball came into the box, as it lead to a goalmouth scramble in which Gibraltar really struggled to clear their lines.
After that, relentless waves of Moldovan attacks came upon the Gibraltarian defence and finally, they found a way through in the 93rd minute.
Carolina Țabur once again showing a moment of brilliance (after a period of very sloppy, panicked play by both teams) the forward picked her moment brilliantly to let loose a beautiful curling shot from distance which sailed straight into the top right-hand corner, far out of Robba’s reach.
With the final kick of the ball in the 90+7th minute, Gibraltar’s Gilbert had one final chance for the equaliser but her effort unfortunately went into the side netting.
Although cruelly robbed of a point in the dying moments, Gibraltar manager, Scott Wiseman, will be able to take plenty of positives into the remaining fixtures in Group C1, where they currently sit in 3rd place.
Slovakia 3 – 0 Faroe Islands:
After being relegated from League B at the end of the last campaign, 309 fans were in attendance to watch a Slovakian dominated performance at the City Arena – Štadión Antona Malatinského.
The host’s superb display limited the visitors to a single attempt on goal, compared to their impressive nineteen chances.
It was Maťavková’s foul on Johannesen in the 6th minute that set up the Faroe Islands’ first direct free-kick. Moments later, forward Sevdal had the first and only Faroesian chance on goal but unfortunately she missed the target.
From then on in, it was a one-way street with Slovakia narrowly missing chances through Mikolajová and Šurnovská within minutes of each other; calling keeper Joensen into action for the first time in the game.
Minutes later, the hosts took the lead as Patrícia Hmírová converted a lovely pass from defender Kristína Košíková to make it 1-0. Ten minutes later, it was the turn of Tamara Morávková to double the home side’s lead and the Slovakian side showed no signs of stopping with another four chances created before half-time.
It wasn’t long after the restart until Mikolajová had another two chances on goal before delivering the corner and setting up Klaudia Fabová for the third and final goal of the afternoon on the hour mark.
As the game wore on, Slovakia registered another four huge chances on goal before the final whistle finally sounded and catapulted Slovakia to the top spot of Group C1.
Group C2:
Georgia 2 – 1 Andorra:
From the first whistle, it was clear Georgia wanted nothing less than those three points as they began their assault on the Andorran goal with forward
Matveeva registering two chances in the opening three minutes. The visitors didn’t have any clear-cut opportunities in the first half, with the Georgians keeping Alba Martin in the Andorran goal busy with a further seven attempts on goal before half-time.
Within minutes of the restart, Georgia continued their dominant efforts with Bakradze and Danelia leading the charge. However, in the 55th minute, Andorra had their first promising spell of possession as Armengol called Tatia Gabunia into action for the first time.
Around the hour mark, Georgia’s Bukhrikidze came the closest to breaking the deadlock as her shot hit the woodwork and it was clear a goal was imminent. However, completely against the run of play in the 69th minute it was Andorra’s young midfielder, Laia Sole Palau, who broke the deadlock to put the visitors in front.
Ten minutes later, Andorra’s Colobrans gave away a penalty after a foul on Bakradze. It was then midfielder, Maiko Bebia, who stepped up to the spot and confidently converted for the equaliser in the 83rd minute. This was the turning point in Georgia’s game and from then on it was mere minutes before their second went over the line through the efforts of Teona Bakradze in the 87th minute. In 7 minutes of added time, Bakradze had one final chance to add to her tally but unfortunately the chance went just wide.
This dominant performance will put them in good stead for their next test against Cyprus, who they are currently join first with in Group C2.
Cyprus 2 – 1 Malta:
Cyprus were the favourites going into this match being 18 places above Malta in the UEFA Women’s rankings and came close to opening the scoring within the first ten minutes; with chances from both Constantinou and Violari narrowly missing the target.
Malta, however, weren’t going to give up without a fight as familiar face to fans of the Women’s Championship, Maria Farrugia, proved to be the visitors best threat – although will feel aggrieved none of her efforts added her name on the scoresheet.
Just after the 20 minute mark, Cyprus’ Antri Violari registered her first shot on target with her next shot breaking the deadlock around the thirty minute mark for 1-0. As the Cypriot spell of possession continued, it wasn’t long before the home team had doubled their lead through youngster Marilia Constantinou in the 37th minute.
In the second half, Malta finally settled into the game and although they were creating better chances, they didn’t trouble Matthaiou in the Cypriot goal. However, their fortune changed in the 50th minute as Malta won a free-kick but unfortunately the shot took a deflection off Cypriot midfielder Sara Papadopoulou for an own goal, making it 2-1. The rest of the half then continued end-to-end, with Cyprus having one more roll of the dice in the fifth minute of stoppage time, as Filippa Savva tried her luck from a direct free-kick but her shot went just wide of the target.
This victory in the AEK Arena sees Cyprus become joint top of of Group C2 with Georgia after they both won on matchday 1.
Group C3:
Armenia 6 – 1 Liechtenstein:
An early opener, a hat-trick and a penalty saw Armenia cruise comfortably to victory over Liechtenstein in one of the first games played of the new campaign.
Soon after the first whistle blew, captain Maral Artin impressed with her attacking prowess as within 7 minutes she had already registered two shots on target with the latter breaking the deadlock.
Minutes later, it was Oksanna Pizlova’s turn to double the host’s lead after converting a ball played into her path by Anna Dallakyan to make it 2-0. For the next twenty minutes or so, the game was end-to-end with Liechtenstein gaining small periods of possession and trying to attack the Armenian goal.
However, moments before half time it was Lara Kazanchian who found the back of the net to make it 3-0, after being assisted by previous goalscorer Pizlova, for her first goal of the afternoon.
Shortly after the restart it was Dallakyan’s turn to get her name on the scoresheet as she stepped up to convert a penalty after Liechtenstein’s Frick fouled Armenia’s Asatryan in the box. This began a goal-frenzy as within the next three minutes both Liechtenstein and Armenia had both scored again.
On the counter, it was midfielder Katharina Risch who got one back for the visitors, whereas Kazanchian found her second of the afternoon a minute later to make it 4-1 to the home side.
Armenia then continued to dominate for the remainder of the half as chance after chance came before Huber in the Liechtenstein goal; remaining strong until the 71st minute when Kazanchian netted yet another goal for her incredible hat-trick.
Not content with 6 goals, the home side continued to push for more until the whistle finally blew after only one minute of stoppage time; with the victory earning them the top spot in Group C3 after the only win on match day 1 in the group.
Luxembourg 2 – 2 Kazakhstan:
With Kazakhstan ten places above their hosts in the UEFA Women’s Rankings, they looked to be the favourites to take all three points going into this match-up and for the first thirty minutes of the game, they dominated.
With four attempts on goal and Nurusheva’s shot hitting the woodwork, it was only a matter of time before one attempt finally crossed the line.
However, just after the thirty minute mark, Luxembourg had a rare opportunity in front of goal when Estevez tried her luck but unfortunately the shot went just wide of her target. Moments later, it was midfielder Anastassiya Nizamutdinova who broke the deadlock for the visitors on the counter, much to Estevez’s annoyance who received a yellow card moments later.
The home side barely had time to regroup before Nizamutdinova had scored again, this time after a driving run she took a shot with her right foot and fired home into the centre of the goal for 0-2.
Not long after the restart, it was Estevez’s turn to finally add her name to the scoresheet as she stepped up to convert a penalty kick (given due to Myasnikova bringing down Luxembourg’s Thompson in the box). Her shot found the back of the net to get one back for the home side, making it 1-2 in the 50th minute.
As the half wore on, Luxembourg grew in confidence, making it end-to-end excitement for those in the stands.
Just after the 70 minute mark, the home side’s efforts finally paid off as midfielder, Laura Miller, tried her luck and found the back of the net to bring the match level at 2-2. The remainder of the match saw both sides go for glory, however no attempts seemed to trouble either keeper and the points were shared at the final whistle, with both teams taking second and third place respectively in Group C3.
Group C4:
Azerbaijan 0 – 0 Montenegro:
After the home side were relegated from League B at the end of the 2024 campaign (with only 4 points from 6 games); they would have been happy to take the point after this tightly contested match up with Montenegro at the Liv Bona Dea Arena.
Azerbaijan started on the front foot with Bakarandze and Jafarzade having efforts on goal in the first ten minutes. Montenegro, however, made the most of their inconsistent moments of possession with Jasna Đoković their most threatening player in front of goal; having her shot blocked moments before half-time.
The home side once again started the second half positively, with Esra Manya trying her luck just after the 50th minute calling Krstović in the Montenegro goal into action for the first time in the half.
As the half drew to a close, both teams had chances in front of goal but it was Montenegro who looked to come closest to taking the three points with
Bulatović and Djoković having the best chance in the 80th minute. However, even with 5 minutes of added time it wasn’t enough for either team to break through as the remained goalless at the final whistle.
Group C5:
Bulgaria 1 – 3 Israel:
Another team trying to fight back after being relegated from League B, Israel came back from a goal down to take all three points and go top of the group.
The hosts didn’t make it easy, however, and actually took the lead against the run of play through Lora Petrova in the 36th minute. It didn’t take long for the visitors to fight back and two goals in two minutes from Marian Awad and Michaelit Workou put the visitors back in control.
In the second half, Bulgaria tried to claw back something from the game through Yaneva’s efforts but they ultimately came to nothing.
The final goal of the afternoon came just after the hour mark from Israel’s Eden Avital to which the hosts had no answer for and the game ended 1-3 to Israel.
Group C6:
North Macedonia 0 – 4 Kosovo:
In the final group match of Matchday 1, it was yet another League B relegated team who came out as victors as Kosovo proved opened their account for the evening in the 6th minute thanks to Kaltrina Biqkaj’s strike.
The rest of the half continued end-to-end with North Macedonia coming closest through Rochi and Nikolovska’s efforts.
Not long after the restart, Kosovo doubled their lead as Biqkaj got her brace. The visitors were never out of the game as they were still creating occasional chances particularly through Rochi and Markovska.
However, their efforts went wanting as Kosovo adding a third to their tally with Biqkaj turning provider for Gentiana Fetaj in the 65th minute; with the fourth and final goal coming moments later through Valentina Metaj, who also hit the woodwork moments later.
For the rest of the half, the game was all Kosovo as they registered a further five shots before the final whistle blew and the game finally ended after 7 minutes of added time, 0-4 to the visitors.
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