Euro round-up: tight at the top for Lyon and PSG but Juventus’ title defence off to shaky start

Rachel Roberts brings you results from across the women’s European leagues as the French giants, Barcelona, and Wolfsburg maintain 100 per cent records.

France

Title-chasing PSG kept up the pace at the top of the Division 1 Feminine table after edging Fleury 2-1 at home yesterday. Batcheba Louis gave the visitors the lead after 16 minutes before Grace Geyoro evened things up just before half time. Kadidiatou Diani, who gave PSG a late win in their midweek Champions League tie against Hacken, then stepped up again with a late winner to seal all three points.

It was an important result for Les Parisiennes ahead of Wednesday’s second-leg qualifier with the Swedes and given joint leaders Lyon continued their winning start to the season with a 3-1 victory at Montpellier on Friday. Lindsey Horan and Eugenie Le Sommer put the visitors two up, before Faustine Robert pulled one back from the spot on 74 minutes to set up a tense end to game. But Dutch star Danielle van de Donk settled any Lyon nerves with her late strike.

Elsewhere, Paris FC secured a 1-0 victory over Le Havre to maintain third sport in the table, whilst Kethna Louis struck what proved to be a 35th-minute winner for Stade Reims at Bordeaux. At the bottom of the table, Guingamp remain pointless after suffering a 1-0 defeat to 10-player Dijon. A Madeline Roth goal in the 50th minute gave the visitors their first win of the season — and Soyaux-Charente also got off the mark, beating Rodez 2-0 thanks to two first-half goals that leave their opponents bottom of the table.

Embed from Getty Images

Italy

Serie A champions Juventus have not made the start to their title defence they would have wanted – already having drawn the same number of fixtures as they did during the whole of last season. Matchday four saw them draw 1-1 away at Sassuolo on Saturday after also being held to the same score by HB Koge in their Champions League first-leg tie last Tuesday. Davina Philtjens’ 63rd-minute equaliser ensured the hosts picked up their first points of the season, but not before red cards for Juve’s Valentina Cernoia and then Asia Bragonzi in a fiery end to the fixture.

Whilst Juventus sit in fifth and now face a tricky European showdown on Wednesday, leaders Internazionale picked up a 2-0 win away at Sampdoria yesterday. Two goals in quick succession sealed the points, with a Tatiana Bonetti penalty just after the hour mark immediately followed by Tabitha Chawinga finding the back of the net in the 63rd minute. In an early clash at the top on Saturday, Roma came from behind to beat Fiorentina 2-1 at home. Michela Catena netted after 28 minutes before the hosts launched a second-half fightback, with goals from Sophie Roman Haug and Valentina Giacinti earning all three points.

There were goals galore for Milan in Parma, as they came out 4-0 victors through four different scorers, though it was a far tighter affair in Pomigliano yesterday. Visitors Como opened the scoring early in the first half, but a Tatiely Cristina Sena das Neves brace would have made Pomigliano feel the win was theirs – until basement Como managed to steal their first point of the season, with an 89th-minute Vivien Beil goal to make it 2-2.

Embed from Getty Images

Germany

Frauen-Bundesliga leaders Wolfsburg salvaged a late 2-1 victory over Hoffenheim to maintain their winning start on Saturday. After going a goal behind thanks to a Katharina Elisa Naschenweng opener in the 14th minute, Jill Roord equalised in the 85th minute, before Jule Brand came back to haunt her old club as she snatched a deserved win for the visitors at the death.

It may be very early in the season, but Leverkusen are shaking up the traditional order. They finished seventh last season, but so far are the only team keeping pace with Wolfsburg, as they also made it two wins from two by beating Koln 1-0. It was a six-goal thriller in Freiburg though, as Eintracht Frankfurt defeated the hosts 4-2 – a second-half brace from Lara Prasnikar sandwiched Shekiera Martinez’s 69th-minute goal for the visitors to secure the three points.

Bayern won 3-0 against Werder Bremen in a far more comfortable and dominant display that sets them up nicely for Thursday’s tough Champions League clash with Real Sociedad, whilst Duisburg triumphed by the same margin at Potsdam to leave them fifth in the table. At the lower end, Meppen sit 11th and without a win, after SGS Essen secured a home victory through Felicitas Fee Kockmann’s 71st-minute winner.

Spain

Madrid have made a good start to the Primera Division season – no not that one. Or that one. Surprisingly, it is Madrid CFF who currently sit joint second in the table with Levante, yet finished 13th last term. The winning start continued with a 3-1 victory over Levante Las Planas despite the visitors taking an early lead. A quickfire second-half brace from Racheal Kundananji, above, and Monica’s spot-kick sealed the win.

Barcelona had an enjoyable away day at basement Villarreal as they won 4-1 yesterday. Maria Pilar Leon and Asisat Oshoala put the champions in the driving seat until Rocio Garcia Fernandez pulled one back on 56 minutes. But Claudia Pina’s strike and a late Lara Mata own-goal made it a comfortable victory in the end for Barca.

Levante are another of the four teams to have taken maximum points so far, and they did so through a 2-0 win over Athletic Club. The other team on a winning streak, Atletico Madrid, needed a last-gasp Ludmila winner to edge Alaves 1-0.

Other results saw Sporting Huelva beat Alhama 1-0, Valencia win 2-0 at home against Sevilla, who are without a point, and Real Betis draw 2-2 away at Sociedad, in a ping-pong game that saw the visitors equalise twice to ensure they left with a point. Real Madrid’s fixture against Granadilla Tenerife was postponed due to poor weather, which is bad news for their Champions League opponents Rosenborg who already trail 3-0 from the first leg and travel to the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium to face the refreshed Spaniards on Wednesday.

You can follow Rachel on Twitter @rachellrobertts