Chelsea held at Twente in Women’s Champions League, Real Madrid and Atletico hit six in big wins
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Chelsea’s mission to finally win a Women’s Champions League title after three straight semifinal exits had a tough start Wednesday in a 1-1 draw at Dutch club Twente.
Germany great Alexandra Popp was key for two-time champion Wolfsburg in a 4-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain, which wasted a series of good scoring chances in the second half.
Both Madrid clubs scored six in big wins to cap the opening week of games in the new and expanded league-phase format with 18 teams.
Real Madrid brushed aside Roma 6-2 at home and Atletico Madrid raced to a three-goal lead by the 22nd minute at St. Pölten in a 6-0 win.
Manchester United beat Valerenga 1-0 at home — on captain Maya Le Tissier’s penalty kick in the 31st — where last Friday it was the first team to take points off Chelsea in the English league this season.
All change for Chelsea
Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor made eight changes to her starting lineup Wednesday, and the six-time defending English champion trailed to a stunning goal against the Dutch league leader.
Twente captain Danique Van Ginkel struck in the 63rd minute with a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area after an attack down the left side by Jill Roord. The shot was beyond the dive of Switzerland goalkeeper Livia Peng, who started in place of England standout Hannah Hampton.
Chelsea leveled in the 71st when France winger Sandy Baltimore scored with a penalty kick awarded for a clear foul.
Bompastor then sent on star forward Sam Kerr and 16-year-old defender Chloe Sarwie to help search for a second goal. Sarwie went close with a rising shot.
Chelsea has yet to be European champion and has lost to Barcelona in three semifinals seasons in the semifinals to Barcelona. Chelsea also lost the 2021 final to Barcelona.
Top Popp
At 34, Alexandra Popp is still a force at Wolsburg, who she helped win back-to-back Champions League titles in 2013 and ’14.
Wolfsburg led in the seventh against PSG when Popp’s pressure on defender Jackie Groenen at a corner helped force the ball into the net for an own goal.
It was two in the 42nd when Popp took possession from PSG inside the penalty area, setting up Ella Peddemors to stride forward and shoot low into the net.
Popp got her goal in the 90th with a diving header. The She-Wolves’ captain Janina Minge added a stoppage-time penalty past PSG goalkeeper Mary Earps.
In Spain, Alba Redondo and Caroline Weir each scored twice and Real Madrid dominated in the second half after Roma struck back with equalizing goals twice in the first.
In the opening games Tuesday, Barcelona gave the standout display beating Bayern Munich 7-1.
The league phase ends in December. Teams that finish first to fourth in the standings advance directly to the quarterfinals. Those ranked Nos. 5 to 12 go to a knockout playoff round. The bottom six teams are eliminated.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer