Long has the Women’s Champions League craved the sight of a jam-packed, vociferous, all-standing section of home supporters roaring their team on from behind the home goal. But on Thursday, Manchester City saw one of the downsides of such hostility as their striker Khadija Shaw was struck by a coin thrown from the end housing the most partisan Hammarby fans.
Such scenes have been remarkably rare to date in Europe’s premier women’s club competition, but replays showed Shaw was hit on the body and recoiled, after the object was launched towards her from behind the goal while she was celebrating opening the scoring for Manchester City with a heavily deflected effort that looped into the far corner. Shaw, the leading goalscorer in England’s Women’s Super League this season with seven goals, was apparently the pantomime villain in the eyes of the home side’s ultras. She held her arms aloft in front of the Swedish club’s fans, was shown a yellow card for her celebration and appeared baffled at that decision in light of having been hit by an object.
