Rise Higher

This week’s roundup will be pretty brief, as only a few UWCL fixtures took place with the Christmas break drawing near. There was still some fantastic football on display, however – as well as some stellar individual performances from our CANXNT players to polish off a great year for the National Team.

The biggest match this week was undoubtedly Juventus v Lyon, the decider for the final team through to the quarter finals of the tournament. Both Julia Grosso and Vanessa Gilles played every minute of the eventual 0-0 draw, and both did themselves proud. Grosso dominated the midfield, with ten ball recoveries, three chances created and five duels won. Her precise passing continues to be a major asset, with 41/46 passes finding their target. Despite the fact Juventus were knocked out – they needed a win, whilst Lyon could settle with a draw – Grosso should once again be proud of her growth as a player in such a short space of time. Vanessa Gilles also continued her good form for Lyon, winning 5/7 duels and keeping yet another clean sheet in a crucial match.

Elsewhere, Chelsea and PSG faced off to decide who would top Group A. What was anticipated to be a close fought match ended up fairly lopsided, as Chelsea came out with a 3-0 win. Ashley Lawrence did not feature in the match, as she was permitted to leave her club early in order to return to Canada for Christmas. Kadeisha Buchanan played the full match for Chelsea and put in an impressive performance. After a bit of a rocky start for her new club, Buchanan has settled quickly and is showing the true extents of her talents, especially as a ball playing defender. Buchanan had 99 touches – the most of anyone on the pitch – illustrating just how dominant a piece of this Chelsea side she is. In 90 minutes, she completed ten passes into the final third, with nine recoveries, four clearances and 5/6 duels won, all whilst maintaining an impressive 90% passing accuracy. Jessie Fleming was also in the squad, though did not start and was instead given a short 16 minute cameo at the end, not giving her much chance to contribute to a match already won.

Finally, Benfica played Bayern Munich in a bit of a dead rubber match, with Benfica knocked out and Bayern Munich already through. Still, Cloé Lacasse was deployed for the full 90 minutes, and put in a solid performance against a tough side. The gutsy forward pulled off seven shots – four more than any other Benfica player. She also created two chances for her teammates, winning 7/13 duels and completing two dribbles. Lacasse’s standout performances for the Portuguese side have raised questions of her possible need to move to a stronger league, but as of right now, Lacasse seems happy to continue to excel in her current environment.

Player of the week: Kadeisha Buchanan