From France’s Division 1 Feminine to the Women’s Super League and National Women’s Soccer League. KEEPUP has you covered with all the Australian women’s football action beyond the A-Leagues.
Ellie Carpenter leads wild celebrations
What better way to celebrate a crushing win over a title rival than by an Australian sensation going absolutely berserk?
Ellie Carpenter went off in the dressing room after French giants Lyon dismantled previously unbeaten Paris FC 6-1 in a top-of-the-table Division 1 Feminine showdown on Monday (AEDT).
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Lyon’s social media accounted described the scene as a “war cry in Frenglish with Ellie” as the Matildas star led the wild celebrations.
Back in France after playing a key role in the Matildas’ three successful Olympic Games qualifiers in Perth, the A-Leagues legend returned to the line-up, having missed the previous league fixture due to an early release for international duty.
Carpenter and Lyon were too strong for Paris, who had won all five of their opening league matches, in the French capital.
Eugenie Le Sommer and Ada Hegerberg scored two goals apiece as former Sydney FC star Sarah Hunter watched from the Paris bench.
It maintained Lyon’s perfect record through six rounds, with the defending champions boasting a goal difference of +24, having scored 26 goals and conceded just two.
After the game, Carpenter was leading the French chants with her teammates in incredible scenes.
Meanwhile, Matildas defender Clare Hunt was not in action over the weekend.
Paris Saint-Germain’s fixture with Guingamp was postponed due to heavy rain which left the pitch unplayable.
Has Steph Catley reached her quota already?
Arsenal ruined the unbeaten streak of Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy‘s Manchester City and it was in no small part thanks to Steph Catley.
Catley’s stunning first-half strike inspired Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Women’s Super League (WSL) rivals City on Sunday.
In a blockbuster showdown pitting Catley and Caitlin Foord against fellow Australia internationals Fowler and Kennedy, it was the former who set the tone with a sublime 14th-minute opener.
Foord provided the assist for Caltey to find the back of the net before Chloe Kelly equalised for City with 18 minutes remaining, though Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius scored the 87th-minute winner.
Since moving to Europe, A-Leagues legend Catley has never scored more than one league goal in a season. Only twice in her career has she found the back of the net multiple times in a league campaign – two for Melbourne Victory in 2014-15 and three in 2012-13.
Catley joked to Arsenal: “I usually score about one a year, so that might be me done. Hopefully not!
“But yeah, it’s nice to get a goal whenever but obviously in a big game, it’s important. Yeah, it feels good and just happy to get three points.”
Catley’s performance came after her, Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross arrived back in the UK from Australia on Friday morning.
“It’s definitely something that we’ve sort of gotten used to over the years. But every time you come back, it’s slightly different and it’s a different challenge,” said Catley.
“So we did our best out there, we gave everything and left it all out in the field. But we’ll get some rest tonight, that’s for sure!”
Elsewhere in the WSL, Sam Kerr was rested by manager Emma Hayes in Chelsea’s 6-0 rout of Aston Villa following her international exploits with the Matildas in Western Australia.
Clare Wheeler‘s Everton drew 1-1 with Tottenham, Charli Rule came off the bench in Brighton and Hove Albion’s thrilling 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United, while Courtney Nevin‘s Leicester City lost 2-1 to Liverpool where Teagan Micah was an unused substitute.
Mackenzie Arnold and West Ham were beaten 3-2 by Bristol City.
A Matilda’s title dream ruined by a former A-Leagues player in the US
Playing in front of a record play-off crowd, Emily van Egmond and San Diego Wave were 90 minutes from a spot in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) final.
However, an unbelievable goal from ex-Adelaide United and Sydney FC loanee Veronica Latsko gave OL Reign a 1-0 win.
From an “impossible angle”, Latsko’s cross-cum-shot found the back of the net in San Diego.
After the game, Latsko – who played for Adelaide in 2018-19 before representing Sydney in 2019-20 – admitted: “Uhhh yeah… that… that was not supposed to be a shot”.
OL Reign will now face Gotham FC in the decider.
Elsewhere, Aivi Luik‘s BK Hacken missed the chance to seal the Damallsvenskan title in Sweden following a 3-2 defeat to Hammarby.
As a result, Hacken lost top spot to Hammarby on goal difference heading into the final round of the season.
Clare Polkinghorne and Katrina Gorry’s Vittsjo claimed a 1-0 win over Norrkoping, while Charli Grant was suspended for the game.
Amy Sayer‘s Kristianstads DFF earned a 1-1 draw with Rosengard after the Matilda came off the bench in the second half.
In Denmark, former Adelaide player Matilda McNamara was sent off in the second half of AGF’s 2-0 defeat away to Nordsjaelland, who boasted ex-Brisbane Roar defender Winonah Heatley.
Hayley Raso was not in the matchday squad for Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Eibar in Spain’s Liga F.
Meanwhile, Jacynta Galabadaarachchi scored in Sporting CP’s 4-2 win over Maritimo in Portugal.
