Matchday One of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League saw some exciting matchups and gave us a taste of what’s to come.
The UWCL table has a very Liga F look about it, with the top three spots occupied by Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid after some very impressive wins to open their campaigns.
Manchester United, meanwhile, were surprisingly the only Women’s Super League team to bag all three points on Matchday One.
We asked our writers Emily Keogh, Julien Laurens and Sam Marsden to answer some of our burning questions.
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Q1: Melchie Dumornay ranked No. 21 in the 2024 ESPN Women’s Rank, but has her two-goal performance in OL Lyonnes‘ win at Arsenal cemented her as a top 10 player right now?
Keogh: I genuinely believe Dumornay will be a top 10 player sooner rather than later. What sets her apart isn’t just the flair, the flamboyant finishes or the fancy footwork — though she certainly has those in her locker. It’s the way she masters the fundamentals: her presence, physicality, intelligent movement off the ball, and clinical, simple finishing. These are the details that elevate her game. We’ve seen top players lose their edge when they stray from the basics, but Dumornay is doing the opposite and she’s building on them. Her football IQ, relentless work ethic, and sharp reading of the game are driving her development at a remarkable pace. Dumornay was a standout in 2023, and she’s only continued to rise. With Lyonnes looking so strong, 2025 could very well cement her as a top star. It’s unfortunate that players from lower-ranked nations often struggle to gain recognition in the global rankings, though. Haiti‘s limited international presence could unfairly hold her back, despite her individual brilliance.
Laurens: I don’t want to say I told you so, but I did. (This is my Parisian arrogance at its best!)
Before the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia, when ESPN writers were asked to pick who would be the revelation of the tournament, I picked Dumornay. And she was. I had seen her grow in France, with Reims first as a 17-year-old and then at Lyonnes, and she’s only gotten better. Now 22, she was excellent at Arsenal on Tuesday off the back of a season where she registered 22 goals and nine assists in 28 games across all competitions.
I voted for her much higher than the 21st position in our renowned and respected FC 50 Women’s rankings last year (and 14th last month in the Ballon d’Or list), but she will definitely be in the top 10 this year. She is among the top 10 players in the world right now, and she has all the tools to even break into the top five despite playing for a tiny nation like Haiti.
Marsden: Probably. In terms of posting the kind of numbers at a top club you need to really stand out, and last year’s rank probably came just too soon for her. She’s possibly also been held back by Lyonnes’ failure to win a Champions League since she joined. But last year’s performances and statistics were no fluke; as she showed at Arsenal, and it’s just a matter of time before she’s flying up that list.
Q2: Does Barcelona’s 7-1 rout of Bayern Munich say more about Barça’s strength, or the size of the gap Bayern need to close in order to keep up with the best sides in Europe?
Laurens: When you look at Bayern Munich’s squad this season, they should not be losing 7-1 away at Barcelona after being 2-0 down after 12 minutes. Even their bench on Tuesday included some top international players. This is a terrible result for them. I was not sure that José Barçala was the right choice as Bayern manager in the summer, and I’m even more skeptical now.
Maybe the Germans thought that this Barça side, which went through a bit of a crisis in the summer, was not going to be very good for some reason? What’s for sure is that you can never underestimate Aitana Bonmatí & Co., even with only 15 or 16 players available. But then, Bayern were also battered by Lyonnes last season in the quarterfinals of the Champions League (6-1 on aggregate), so maybe we should not be expecting too much from them anyway.
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Barcelona’s Brugts: 7-1 win the perfect response to last season’s failure
Esmee Brugts says beating Bayern Munich 7-1 was the perfect start to Barcelona’s attempt to reclaim the Women’s Champions League title.
Marsden: Probably the latter for now. Like Juls says, there is no shortage of talent on that Bayern roster, yet they were awful in Barcelona, with several goals coming from their own slack play at the back. It’s not like they even can claim they were surprised by Barça — coach Barçala said the Spanish champions have some of the most predictable patterns in the game — but they just couldn’t cope with the speed. The good news is they won’t have any harder games than that in the league phase.
As for Barça, it’s hard to proclaim they are as good as they have ever been after one game, but they certainly look like a team desperate to prove a point after last year’s final defeat. The big names are still taking the plaudits for now, but don’t sleep on the younger generation (like World Cup winner Salma Paralluelo) coming through.
Keogh: Bayern played Barcelona at the worst possible time. There’s been a lot of noise around the Catalans lately, and their summer dealings — or lack thereof — has raised real questions about whether they’re still the powerhouse they once were with a dangerously thin squad.
Barcelona, therefore, came into the match with a point to prove and they did just that. But Bayern can’t chalk up the defeat to Barça simply wanting it more. They looked passive, flat, and miles off the intensity we’ve come to expect. Maybe it’s just early teething issues under a new manager, but more likely, it reflects where these two clubs are right now. Bayern have always been a little behind the curve in Europe, but as others pick up momentum, they seem to be slipping further behind. Perhaps a lack of real domestic competition has lulled them into complacency, because they were simply torn apart by Barcelona.
Q3: Taking it a step further, the whole of Liga F really put on a show in MD1, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid racking up 19 goals across their three matches. We know about Barça, but what can the Madrid teams do? Are these results just down to nice fixtures — Atlético thumped St. Pölten 6-0, while Real Madrid beat AS Roma 6-2 — or are they positioning themselves as dark horses?
Marsden: The Madrid teams are ones to watch this year. Given how Barça dominate in Spain, they have slipped under the radar, but both could cause a few upsets.
Real are buoyed by the belief of beating Barça in a competitive game for the first time earlier this year and have gradually increased their investment in the squad. They have quality in the likes of Caroline Weir, Sara Däbritz and Linda Caicedo. They are strong at home — beating Arsenal before losing the reverse leg in last season’s quarterfinal — and should have no problem reaching the playoff round.
Atlético have also started the season well, including a win over Real in the derby, after underperforming in recent years. Luany and Fiamma Benitez are both firing. Next week’s games will be key in telling us just how good both teams are or whether they benefitted from kind opening fixtures — I don’t think they did — as Real go to Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético host Manchester United.
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Caroline Weir reflects on a big win for Real Madrid over Roma
Caroline Weir looks back on Real Madrid’s crushing 6-2 win over Roma in the opening game of their Women’s Champions League campaign.
Keogh: What I find most interesting is that Atlético had 31 shots, with 18 on target against St. Pölten while Real Madrid had 25 with 14 on target in their match. So, there’s no denying the strength of their attacking capabilities. However, when facing a defence that is more disciplined and structurally sound than St. Pölten or Roma, it remains to be seen how effective they truly are.
Atlético’s next test comes against Man United and while their opening match may not offer much to analyse, they did manage to keep Vålerenga at bay, limiting the Norwegian side to just two attempts. It was a controlled performance, but hardly a definitive measure. Defensive vulnerabilities are showing across the board — Chelsea and Arsenal being notable examples — breaking down a well-drilled, title-contending back line is where I believe Atlético (and to an extent, Real Madrid) will be more accurately assessed. Both sides are strong contenders for the playoffs, but I’m reserving final judgment — particularly on Atlético — until they face a more cohesive press and organised defence.
Laurens: I am more on the Real Madrid bandwagon than the Atlético Madrid one, which is not really a hot take. Atleti got 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 Benitez especially), but we should not expect too much from them.
However, for Real Madrid, it is a different dynamic. They have to show progress and they’re definitely capable of it. Caicedo is a wonderful talent and needs to carry this team to the next level now, raising her side beyond the quarterfinal loss against Arsenal last season. Pau Quesada is a young manager, and it is a big job for him, but he has to deliver. The recruitment was interesting in the summer (Dabritz, Merle Frohms and Sara Holmgaard all arrived) and their opening destruction of Roma on Wednesday is very promising.
Q4: Let’s give some praise for the minnows! Oud-Heverlee Leuven and FC Twente both grabbed big results, the former holding Paris FC to a 2-2 draw in France and the latter frustrating Chelsea to a 1-1 result. These moments are why the new format was created, but can either side sustain this over the remainder of the league phase?
Laurens: Expanding and reformatting this competition meant welcoming newcomers and smaller teams, and it is great for the game. Leuven, the Belgian champions, produced 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 huge game for both of them in the view of finishing in the top 12 of this league phase. It was not just them either. I thought Norwegian champions Vålerenga did ok away at Manchester United.
1:03
Pusztai: OH Leuven missed opportunities in UWCL draw
Sara Pusztai reacts to OH Leuven’s comeback draw vs. Paris FC in the Women’s Champions League.
Marsden: Five of the nine fixtures were either settled by just one goal or were draws, which is a good sign moving forward, with only really the Spanish sides — and VfL Wolfsburg against PSG — dishing out lopsided results. Leuven’s comeback against Paris FC was brilliant, but Twente holding English champions Chelsea was probably the result of the round, and the beauty of the calendar means they both meet each other next week.
Looking at their respective fixture lists after that, it’s still going to be a struggle for either side to advance, but Twente, especially after matching one of the favourites, could spring a surprise and creep into the top 12.
Keogh: Leuven celebrated being drawn against Barcelona and Arsenal and now we’re beginning to see why. They know, on their day, they can pull off something special. Their comeback against Paris FC was impressive, and based on their second-half performance, they arguably deserved more than just a point. It won’t be so easy against the two most recent winners, but they’re certainly going to influence who makes the playoffs, even if they don’t themselves.
Vålerenga, despite their 1-0 loss to United, have managed to avoid the traditional “big four.” While their opening performance wasn’t the standout of the round, there was controversy over the penalty decision — one their manager believed should have been overturned by VAR. Had it been ruled out, the result could’ve looked very different. Twente, too, look like they’ve taken lessons from their previous encounters — especially their match-up with Chelsea last season — and executed their game plan with real discipline.
What we’re seeing is a growing tactical maturity among these smaller clubs. They’re learning, adapting, and finding ways to take points off the top sides. With increased investment, expanded backroom teams, and more footage 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.
Q5: Dealer’s choice. What’s one thing that stood out to you this week? Could be a player, could be a club, positive or negative. Basically, what’s the one thing you think should be a bigger story?
Keogh: Given the way United claimed their historic first win, you have to give it to Maya Le Tissier for what can only be described as a fairytale moment. Scoring Manchester United’s first-ever goal in European competition to secure their debut victory on the continent — and doing so as captain, at just 23 — is the kind of story that captures the heart of this tournament. Since arriving in 2022, she’s been a rock for this team, quietly becoming indispensable by playing nearly every minute across competitions. But this moment was different. At full-time, she was in tears fully aware of the weight of what that goal meant.
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Le Tissier: ‘Really special’ to score Manchester United’s first UWCL goal
Maya Le Tissier reflects on a dream start to Manchester United’s first Women’s Champions League campaign.
Laurens: For a long time, PSG were an outside chance of winning this competition. With competitive squads, the Parisians always believed they could cause an upset, make their way to the semifinals — like in 2021, 2022 and 2024 — with an eye on the big prize. The Qatari owners dreamed big for their women’s side, investing in it massively. But while the club finally won the men’s Champions League in Munich last season, the PSG Féminines are in crisis. They lost some key players again in the summer (like Grace Geyoro and Marie-Antoinette Katoto), were humiliated already by Lyonnes in the league, and battered at Wolfsburg on Wednesday too. The Parisians have fallen away quite dramatically.
Marsden: The underperforming Women’s Super League sides. Given their budget, Chelsea should not be dropping points at Twente. Manchester United did what was needed against Vålerenga, earning a 1-0 win via a penalty, but will need to up their game in next week’s fascinating match against Atlético. Yes, Arsenal can lose to a powerful Lyonnes side, even at home, but more worrying is that the European champions have now failed to win in four matches in all competitions. It is very early days, but I want to see more from what is widely considered Europe’s strongest league.
