RISE HIGHER

One of the main talking points this week was the FA Continental Cup final between English powerhouses Arsenal and Chelsea. With Sabrina D’Angelo still out injured, Arsenal were temporarily Canadian-less, whilst Jessie Fleming and Kadeisha Buchanan started the match on the bench. Chelsea started well, scoring within two minutes, but quickly capitulated, conceding three in the first half with no reply. The second half fared slightly better for the Blues, as they did not concede further, but unfortunately nor could they find the back of the net. Buchanan saw 50 minutes of the match, being subbed on early in order for Chelsea to switch formation. Fleming came off the bench for the last 15 minutes, but was unable to impact the game much, as Arsenal eventually ran away with a 3-1 victory. Otherwise, there was very little Canadian action in the WSL this week, with Shelina Zadorsky absent from Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 loss against Manchester City due to a knock, and Adriana Leon remaining on the bench for Manchester United’s 5-1 win over Leicester City.

There were cup games galore on the continent, too, with the Coupe de France quarter-finals, the first leg of the Italian Women’s Cup semi-finals and the group stages of the Svenska Cup all taking place this weekend. Lyon’s match against Reims went to penalties after finishing 2-2 in standard time – a bit of a surprise result considering the team’s dominance historically. Lyon won 8-7 on penalties, and though Vanessa Gilles had hers saved, she contributed heavily to the bulk of the match, making several vital blocks and clearances. Paris Saint-Germain also saw their quarter-final against Bordeaux go to pens after a goalless 90 minutes. The Parisians won the shootout 5-4, with Ashley Lawrence converting from the spot. Marie Levasseur will also join Lawrence and Gilles in the semi-finals after FC Fleury thrashed Nantes 6-1.

The Svenska Cupen group stages continued as Kristianstads took the top spot in group A after a 2-1 win against Linkoping. Evelyne Viens scored the winning goal in the 86th minute to gain a valuable three points in a tough group, which also includes reigning Champions Rosengard. Sura Yekka and Sarah Stratigakis also celebrated a victory as Vittsjö beat Örebro 1-0. Lastly, Clarissa Larisey got her first start for new team BK Häcken in a 4-0 win over Växjö.

In Italy, Julia Grosso continued her fine form as Juventus drew 1-1 with Inter in the first leg of their cup semi-final. Grosso scored the side’s lone goal, bringing her total to three in all competitions, along with seven assists. 

Finally, it was back to league matches for Canadians in Portugal. Marie-Yasmine Alidou put in a great performance in Famalicão’s 2-2 draw against Albergaria, bagging the point for her team with a goal and an assist. Having been left off the CANXNT roster for a few camps now, Priestman may well take another look at the midfielder, especially with a lack of depth in that area. Elsewhere, Cloé Lacasse unsurprisingly added to her impressive goal tally with a brace against Vilaverdense in a 7-1 win for Benfica. Lysianne Proulx, however, was forced to sit out of Torreense’s 1-0 loss to Sporting CP, serving her match ban for the red card she received prior to the international break.

Player of the Week: Marie-Yasmine Alidou

Stats

Goals: 5 (Alidou, Grosso, Lacasse x2, Viens)

Assists: 1 (Alidou)