La Liga F Shines in the Women’s Champions League Opening Day
The first matchday of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League gave us exciting matches and a preview of what’s to come. The UWCL standings show a strong presence from Liga F, with Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, and Real Madrid leading after convincing victories. Meanwhile, Manchester United was the only Women’s Super League team to secure all three points on the opening day. We analyze the key questions with the help of our experts.- Women’s Champions League: How the new format works
- Don’t know which UWCL team to support? Alofoke Deportes helps you
- Yohannes, Caldentey: Who is the MVP in the 18 UWCL teams?
Dumornay was a standout figure in 2023, and she has only risen. With such a strong Lyonnes, 2025 could cement her as a star. It’s unfortunate that players from lower-ranked nations often struggle to gain recognition in global rankings. Haiti’s limited international presence could unfairly disadvantage her, despite her individual brilliance.Laurens, for his part, didn’t hold back: “I don’t want to say ‘I told you so’, but I did. (This is my Parisian arrogance at its finest!) Before the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia, when ESPN writers were asked to choose who would be the revelation of the tournament, I chose Dumornay. And she was. Now, at 22, she was excellent against Arsenal after a season in which she recorded 22 goals and nine assists in 28 games across all competitions. I voted for her much higher than 21st in the FC 50 women’s ranking last year, but she will definitely be in the top 10 this year. She is among the top 10 players in the world right now, and has all the tools to even break into the top five despite playing for a small nation like Haiti.” Marsden added: “Probably. In terms of posting the kind of numbers at a top club that you need to really stand out, and last year’s ranking probably came too soon for her. She may also have been held back by the fact that Lyonnes haven’t won a Champions League since she joined. But last year’s performances and statistics were no fluke; as she showed at Arsenal, and it’s only a matter of time before she rises up that list.”Question 2: Does Barcelona’s 7-1 victory over Bayern Munich say more about the strength of Barça or about the gap that Bayern needs to close to keep up with the best teams in Europe?I truly believe Dumornay will be among the top 10 players in no time. What sets her apart isn’t just her style, her spectacular finishes, or her elegant footwork, although she certainly has all of that. It’s the way she masters the fundamentals: her presence, physicality, intelligent off-the-ball movement, and clinical, simple finishing. These are the details that elevate her game. Dumornay’s footballing intelligence, her tireless work ethic, and her sharp reading of the game are driving her development at a remarkable pace.
Emily Keogh
When you look at the Bayern Munich squad this season, they shouldn’t be losing 7-1 away to Barcelona after going 2-0 down in 12 minutes. Even their bench on Tuesday included some top international players. This is a terrible result for them. I wasn’t sure if José Barçala was the right choice as Bayern’s coach in the summer, and now I’m even more skeptical.
Julien Laurens
Perhaps the Germans thought that this Barça team, which went through a small crisis in the summer, was not going to be very good for some reason. What is certain is that you can never underestimate Aitana Bonmatí & Co., even with only 15 or 16 players available. But, Bayern was also defeated by Lyon last season in the Champions League quarter-finals (6-1 on aggregate), so perhaps we shouldn’t expect too much from them anyway.
Marsden: “Probably the last for now. As Juls says, there’s no shortage of talent in that Bayern squad, however, they were awful in Barcelona, with several goals coming from their own sloppy play at the back. It’s not like they can even claim they were surprised by Barça, the Barça coach said the Spanish champions have some of the most predictable patterns of play, but they simply couldn’t cope with the speed. The good news is they won’t have any tougher matches than that in the league phase. As for Barça, it’s hard to proclaim they’re as good as ever after one match, but they certainly look like a team desperate to prove something after last year’s final defeat. The big names are still getting the plaudits for now, but don’t forget the younger generation (like World Cup winner Salma Paralluelo) that’s emerging.” Keogh: “Bayern played against Barcelona at the worst possible moment. There has been a lot of noise surrounding the Catalans lately, and their summer business, or lack thereof, has raised real questions about whether they are still the powerhouse they once were with a dangerously thin squad. Therefore, Barcelona came into the match with a point to prove and did precisely that. But Bayern cannot attribute the defeat to Barça simply wanting it more. They seemed passive, flat, and miles away from the intensity we expect. Perhaps it’s just early teething problems under a new coach, but it most likely reflects where these two clubs are at the moment. Bayern has always been a bit behind in Europe, but as others gain momentum, they seem to be falling further behind. Perhaps the lack of real domestic competition has numbed them, because Barcelona simply tore them apart.”Question 3: Going a step further, the entire Liga F really put on a show on Matchday 1, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid accumulating 19 goals in their three matches. We know Barça, but what can the Madrid teams do? Are these results simply due to good matchups (Atlético beat St. Pölten 6-0, while Real Madrid beat AS Roma 6-2) or are they positioning themselves as dark horses?
Real Madrid is boosted by the belief of having beaten Barcelona in a competitive match for the first time earlier this year and has gradually increased its investment in the squad. They have quality in players like Caroline Weir, Sara Däbritz, and Linda Caicedo. They are strong at home, beating Arsenal before losing the return leg in the quarterfinals last season, and should have no problem reaching the playoff round. Atlético has also started the season well, including a victory over Real Madrid in the derby, after underperforming in recent years. Luany and Fiamma Benítez are on a roll. Next week’s matches will be key to telling us how good both teams are or if they benefited from friendly initial matchups, I don’t think they did, as Real Madrid goes to Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético receives Manchester United.Keogh: “What I find most interesting is that Atletico had 31 shots, with 18 on target against St. Pölten, while Real Madrid had 25 with 14 on target in their match. Therefore, the strength of their offensive capabilities cannot be denied. However, when they face a defense that is more disciplined and structurally solid than St. Pölten or Roma, it remains to be seen how effective they really are. Atletico’s next test comes against Man United and, although their opening match doesn’t offer much to analyze, they managed to keep Vålerenga at bay, limiting the Norwegian team to just two attempts. It was a controlled performance, but hardly a definitive measure. Defensive vulnerabilities are showing in all areas, with Chelsea and Arsenal being notable examples, breaking a well-trained and title-contending defensive line is where I believe Atletico (and, to some extent, Real Madrid) will be evaluated with greater precision. Both teams are strong contenders for the playoffs, but I reserve final judgment, particularly on Atletico, until they face more cohesive pressure and an organized defense.” Laurens: “I am more in favor of Real Madrid than Atlético de Madrid, which is not really an unpopular opinion. Atleti were lucky in the playoffs against BK Häcken and are now rediscovering this competition after a few years of absence. They have some talent in certain positions (Luany and Benítez especially), but we shouldn’t expect too much from them. However, for Real Madrid, it’s a different dynamic. They have to show progress and they are definitely capable of it. Caicedo is a wonderful talent and needs to take this team to the next level now, overcoming the quarter-final defeat against Arsenal last season. Pau Quesada is a young coach, and it’s a great job for him, but he has to deliver. The recruitment was interesting in the summer (Dabritz, Merle Frohms and Sara Holmgaard arrived) and their initial destruction of Roma on Wednesday is very promising.”Madrid’s teams are the ones to watch this year. Given how Barça dominates in Spain, they have gone unnoticed, but both could cause some surprises.
Sam Marsden
Question 4: Let’s give some credit to the smaller teams! Oud-Heverlee Leuven and FC Twente achieved great results, the former drawing 2-2 with Paris FC in France and the latter frustrating Chelsea with a 1-1 result. These moments are the reason the new format was created, but can either team maintain this for the rest of the league phase?
Marsden: “Five of the nine matches were decided by a single goal or were draws, which is a good sign for the future, with only the Spanish teams, and VfL Wolfsburg against PSG, obtaining uneven results. Leuven’s comeback against Paris FC was brilliant, but Twente drawing with Chelsea, the English champion, was probably the result of the day, and the beauty of the schedule means that both face each other next week. Looking at their respective schedules after that, it’s still going to be difficult for either team to advance, but Twente, especially after drawing with one of the favorites, could spring a surprise and sneak into the top 12.” Keogh: “Leuven celebrated being drawn against Barcelona and Arsenal and now we’re starting to see why. They know that, on their day, they can achieve something special. Their comeback against Paris FC was impressive and, based on their second-half performance, they possibly deserved more than a point. It won’t be so easy against the two most recent winners, but they are certainly going to influence who reaches the playoffs, even if they don’t themselves. Vålerenga, despite their 1-0 defeat to United, has managed to avoid the traditional “big four”. While their initial performance wasn’t the most outstanding of the day, there was controversy over the penalty decision, one that their coach believed should have been overturned by VAR. Had it been overturned, the result could have been very different. Twente also seems to have learned from their previous encounters, especially their match against Chelsea last season, and executed their game plan with true discipline. What we are seeing is a growing tactical maturity among these smaller clubs. They are learning, adapting, and finding ways to take points from the teams above. With greater investment, expanded support teams, and more images and data to work with, the gap is clearly narrowing. And that’s a promising sign, not just for the underdogs, but for the competition as a whole.”Expanding and reforming this competition meant welcoming newcomers and smaller teams, and it’s great for the game. Leuven, the Belgian champions, had an excellent second half in Paris against Paris FC to get a point, while Twente, the Dutch champions, frustrated Chelsea’s star-studded team to also get a draw and create the first surprise of this campaign. They face each other in Belgium next week in what is already a great match for both of them to finish in the top 12 of this league phase. They weren’t the only ones either. I thought the Norwegian champions Vålerenga did well away against Manchester United.
Julien Laurens
Question 5: Expert’s choice. What caught your attention the most this week? It could be a player, a club, positive or negative. Basically, what do you think should be a more important story?
Laurens: “For a long time, PSG was a remote possibility of winning this competition. With competitive squads, the Parisians always believed they could cause a surprise, reach the semi-finals, as in 2021, 2022 and 2024, with their sights set on the grand prize. The Qatari owners dreamed big for their women’s team, investing massively in it. But while the club finally won the men’s Champions League in Munich last season, PSG Féminines is in crisis. They lost some key players again in the summer (like Grace Geyoro and Marie-Antoinette Katoto), were already humiliated by Lyonnes in the league, and also defeated in Wolfsburg on Wednesday. The Parisians have fallen quite dramatically.” Marsden: “The underperforming Women’s Super League teams. Given their budget, Chelsea shouldn’t be dropping points to Twente. Manchester United did what was necessary against Vålerenga, getting a 1-0 win thanks to a penalty, but will need to improve their game in next week’s fascinating match against Atlético. Yes, Arsenal can lose against a powerful Lyonnes team, even at home, but the most worrying thing is that the European champions have now not won in four games in all competitions. It’s early days, but I want to see more from what is considered the strongest league in Europe.”Given the way United secured their historic first victory, credit must go to Maya Le Tissier for what can only be described as a fairytale moment. Scoring Manchester United’s first goal in European competition to secure their debut victory on the continent, and doing so as captain, at just 23 years old, is the kind of story that captures the heart of this tournament. Since her arrival in 2022, she has been a rock for this team, quietly becoming indispensable by playing almost every minute in all competitions. But this moment was different. At the end of the match, she was in tears, fully aware of the weight of what that goal meant.
Emily Keogh
