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Louise Thomas
Editor
Manchester City produced a statement win on their Women’s Champions League return as Gareth Taylor’s side defeated holders FC Barcelona 2-0 in their Group D opener at the Joie Stadium.
Naomi Layzell, the 20-year-old defender signed from Bristol City in the summer, put the hosts in front with a 36th-minute finish, the first goal of her career to date. Layzell then added an assist to her memorable evening as she set up Khadija Shaw to score the second with 13 minutes of normal time to go.
It was City’s first game in the competition proper since 2020-21, when they had beaten Barcelona 2-1 in a quarter-final second leg at the same venue but lost 4-2 on aggregate.
Barca went on to lift the trophy for the first time that season and have appeared in each of the three finals since, winning the last two.
Taylor had spoken before this meeting of his excitement at seeing his side test themselves against the team he had no doubt are the best in the women’s game - and will have been delighted at the performance that followed.
City might have had more goals, with Lauren Hemp sending a shot against the post early in the contest.
Pere Romeu’s Barcelona also hit the post, through Caroline Graham Hansen early on, but this was certainly an off night for the Catalan outfit, with stars like former City midfielder Keira Walsh and Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas unable to make much of an impression.
The opening moments saw Barca come within inches of taking the lead when Graham Hansen was played in by Putellas and hit a shot onto the upright.
City responded impressively, putting the reigning champions under considerable pressure and, after Jess Park and Vivianne Miedema had seen efforts blocked, they rattled the woodwork themselves with Hemp’s strike hitting the post just past the quarter hour.
Three minutes later there was a sigh of relief for the hosts after Miedema misjudged a backpass, Ewa Pajor took the ball past Ayaka Yamashita and her shot was cleared off the line by Laia Aleixandri.
But they were soon back on the front foot and - after Catalina Coll pulled off a great save to keep out Park’s shot - City made a deserved breakthrough from the resulting corner, Miedema connecting with the delivery to head the ball into the danger zone, where Layzell slid in to finish.
After Graham Hansen had a low shot easily gathered by Yamashita late in the first half, Miedema failed to make the most of a good chance early in the second, glancing a header wide from Alex Greenwood’s free-kick.
Barca then started to show some momentum, with Putellas being thwarted by a great Laia block, Bonmati bringing a stop out of Yamashita and substitute Claudia Pina firing just off-target from outside the box.
Walsh was next to try her luck, unleashing a shot from just inside the box in the 70th minute, but again Yamashita was equal to it and the Japan goalkeeper then tipped a Bonmati effort over the crossbar.
It had been a nervy spell for the home side, but within moments they had a crucial second as Layzell fed Shaw, who went around Coll and rolled the ball into the net.
There was then a concerning end to the game for Layzell as she departed the field with an injury late on.
