Rise Higher

Cloé Lacasse, fresh off being awarded Canada Soccer Player of the Month, added further goal contributions to her tally this week, with a goal and two assists in Benfica’s 9-0 demolishing of Albergaria. Lysianne Proulx, however, did not have as successful a match, as she was sent off in the 60th minute of Torreense’s 2-1 loss against Vilaverdense. At the point of her sending off, the team was 1-0 up, illustrating both Proulx’s importance to the team, and also likely a painful turn of events considering her actions. Marie-Yasmine Alidou also started this weekend in Famalicão’s 1-0 win against Marítimo, earning the assist on the match-winner.

In France, Lyon came away with a 5-0 win away from home at Rodez, with Gilles playing the full 90. A loan that could have led to diminished playing time has certainly worked out well for the centre-back, who is now a regular starter on their backline. Gilles put in a solid performance, with a 95% passing accuracy, four successful long balls and three tackles won. Ashley Lawrence and Paris Saint-Germain also won their match, beating Le Havre 3-1. Marie Levasseur, however, was left out of FC Fleury’s squad for their 4-0 win against Soyaux – something to keep an eye on over the coming weeks, as she is usually a starter for the team.

Juventus, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of AC Milan, which sees them now eight points behind league leaders Roma; a surprising position for a team that has been Italian champions every season since their inception in 2017. Julia Grosso played 84 minutes of the match and struggled to have her usual impact, though she still managed two chances created and maintained an 88% passing accuracy. 

The puzzling saga of Adriana Leon and Manchester United continues, with reports this week revealing that the forward was supposed to move to AC Milan before the deal collapsed at the last minute due to issues with paperwork. Leon was left out of the squad for United’s 0-0 draw against Everton; though Marc Skinner stated the reason was competition within the squad, whether this has anything to do with the aforementioned failed transfer remains to be seen.

Finally, three Canadians started in Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, with Shelina Zadorsky and Kadeisha Buchanan playing every minute for their respective clubs, whilst Jessie Fleming was subbed off at 61 minutes. None of the three had a particularly spectacular match, with Fleming struggling to get involved and Buchanan uncharacteristically inaccurate with her long passing. Zadorsky, too, struggled under the pressure of Chelsea’s attack. Nonetheless, due to United’s slip-up, Chelsea now sits top of the league – Spurs, on the other hand, are in a disappointing ninth.

Player of the week: Cloé Lacasse