The Round 2 first legs of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League continued on Thursday.
Here is what went down.
Goalkeeper errors in focus as Madrid scrape by
Scorer: Bravo 45+4′; Athenea 11′, Leupolz 90+6′
Sporting were seconds away from holding Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw but collapsed at the death in a game where both goalkeepers had moments to forget.
The opener arrived when Hannah Seabert first came out of her area but failed to chest down the ball properly. That miscue allowed Athenea to race toward her, steal it, and slot home into an empty net.
And despite Madrid converting all five of their shots on target, Sporting levelled when it was Misa’s turn to make a mistake.
The Spaniard came out of her area to close down Raphino and fouled her, which led to both a yellow card and a penalty. Andreia Bravo stepped up and calmly converted to turn things level by the break.
The second half continued to be a cagey 45 minutes of football with only five more attempts combined, led by the visitors.
That lack of genuine chances plus the clock winding down suggested the hosts would carry a vital result into the second-leg. That was until Melanie Leupolz capitalised on a second mistake by Seabert and won the game 2-1.
Elsewhere…
The second legs will take place on 25 and 16 September.