Rise Higher

This week, the Women’s Super League resumed, and with it the news that goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo has signed for league leaders Arsenal. It is assumed that she will serve as the back-up goalkeeper to starter Manuela Zinsberger, though with Arsenal competing for four trophies, there will doubtlessly be plenty of opportunities for D’Angelo to prove herself.

Arsenal’s new signing was included in the squad for this week’s league match against Chelsea, a top of the table clash which ended in a rather muted 1-1 draw. Both Jessie Fleming and Kadeisha Buchanan started for the Blues, with Fleming taken off at 68 minutes and Buchanan playing the whole match. Despite a shaky defensive performance as a whole for Chelsea – they likely should have conceded more than one – Buchanan put in a good shift, with eight recoveries, three tackles, two blocks, two clearances and five duels won. 

Whilst Buchanan’s move to England seems to be working out after a shaky start, Adriana Leon continues to struggle for play-time at Manchester United, seeing just thirteen minutes of a 6-0 blowout against Liverpool. Meanwhile, Shelina Zadorsky and Tottenham Hotspur were on the receiving end of a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa. Spurs’s entire defence was suspect to say the least, but Zadorsky was one of the better players in the team, particularly in ball progression, with ten passes into the final third – more than anyone else on the pitch.

In France, Vanessa Gilles put in an exceptional performance to help Lyon to a 3-0 win over Soyaux. Gilles finished the match with a goal and an assist, becoming the 100th player to score for the French juggernaut. Ashley Lawrence and Paris Saint-Germain had a much more difficult time overcoming their league opponent, Rodez. The Parisians managed to pull off a 1-0 win via a penalty, but the fact that they had nine shots on target and just the one goal will be an issue the team wishes to rectify. Elsewhere, Marie Levasseur played the full 90 minutes in FC Fleury’s 2-0 win over Paris FC.

Amidst rumours of a move to Arsenal, Cloé Lacasse played precious little for Benfica across both their cup and league match this week. She was fully rested for their 3-2 (8-2 on aggregate) Taca da Liga Feminina win against Valadares, and at the weekend came on for the last 25 minutes of an 8-0 win over Amora – bagging an assist on the final goal of the game. Marie Yasmine Alidou d’Anjou started both games for Famalicao this week, in a 1-0 cup win over Vilaverdense and a 3-0 league win over Torreense. Fellow Canadian Lysianne Proulx played the full 90 for Torreense in the loss. 

Lastly, Julia Grosso continues to be a staple of a Juventus team reportedly desperate to keep her out of the hands of Manchester City. Grosso played 90 minutes in the Italian side’s 1-1 draw to Sassuolo, maintaining an impressive 97% pass accuracy, with three long passes and two chances created.

Player of the week: Vanessa Gilles