Manchester City dominated the field 6-0 to knock out Kazakhstani team Tomiris-Turan and line up Real Madrid for their next qualifying Champions League round.
The Women’s Champions League first-round qualifier took place in the humble setting of Real Madrid’s training ground in Madrid, Spain.
UEFA Euros Lionesses
The match saw Man City head coach, Gareth Taylor starting five of his team’s UEFA Euros winners. These were Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, midfielder Kiera Walsh, Ellie Roebuck and Alex Greenwood.
The latter wore the Captain’s armband for the majority of the match before passing to Steph Houghton during a 61st-minute substitution.
Another Lioness, Demi Stokes, was also introduced to the eleven as a second-half substitute. The match marked the beginning of Stokes’ eighth season at Manchester City Women.
Both Ellen White and Ruby Mace were unable to travel to Madrid for the match. White has cited personal reasons and has been granted more time away from the game.
First-half goals 1, 2 and 3
However, White’s absence allowed Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw to start and subsequently score two goals.
The opening goal of the game came from Hemp’s direct cross, while Shaw’s second came from a header set up by Kelly.
The strong front three then worked in sync to score the third goal in the first-half stoppage time. Shaw crossed the ball to Hemp, who put the ball in the back of the net at close range.
Second half goals, 4, 5 and 6
In the 89th minute, midfielder and substitute Vicky Losada scored the fourth goal of the game from inside the box.
Following quickly in her stride was another substitute Deyna Castellano. She easily scored a penalty, making the score 5-0. This was Castellanos’s debut for Man City.
The former Atletico Madrid player signed a three-year contract with Man City on June 2 2022. Being on the scoresheet for her first club appearance is therefore a possible sign of great things to come from the forward.
The final goal of the match was an own goal by the Tomiris-Turan goalkeeper, Aitaj Sharifova. This concede gave Man City a deserved 6-0 win.
This landslide Champions League victory allows the Man City team to advance in the league qualifiers.
Manchester City Women’s vs Real Madrid Femenino
As soon as Sunday, Taylor’s side will face ‘League Path Group 4’ hosts, Real Madrid. The Spanish club also beat Austrian club Sturm Graz 6-0 on the evening of August 18.
Whoever triumphs in Sunday’s match will go onto the second phase of Champions League qualifiers.
Manchester City Women’s will face Real Madrid Femenino on Sunday 21 August. The match, which will take place at 8pm BST, will be available to view behind a paywall via Recast and City+ app.
Match details
Manchester City (4-3-3): Roebuck; Casparij, Aleixandri, Greenwood (Houghton, 61), Ouahabi (Stokes, 61), Fowler, Walsh, Coombs, Kelly (Losada, 73), Shaw (Castellanos 67), Hemp (Raso, 73)
Subs not used: MacIver, Keating, Angeldahl, Morgan, Kennedy, Blakstad
Tomiris-Turan (5-4-1): Sharifova; Kozhakhmet (Yerzhanova, 62), Aitymova, Nurusheva, Popovic, A Sunday, Chilufya, Kubessova (Mamyrova, 83), Esquivel Villanueva, Turlybekova (Nizamutdinova, 62); J Sunday
Subs not used: Abibulla Kyzy, Karatayeva, Kopzhanova, Berikova
Referee: Marina Zivkovic (Serbia)
Feature image credit: Manchester City Women F. C. / Twitter
ELLA LOUISE SCOTT 