Rise Higher

This week, there was a familiar sight in Portugal, as Cloé Lacasse had another storming game for Benfica, notching two goals and two assists in a 5-0 slaughtering of Marie-Yasmine Alidou’s Famaliçao. Benfica are now ten points clear at the top of the league table, whilst Famaliçao sit comfortably in fifth. Elsewhere, Lysianne Proulx was back in the XI for Torreense, though she was unable to keep the clean sheet, as the team fell 1-0 to Damaiense. 

Whilst Juventus bagged their spot in the Italian Women’s Cup final this weekend, they had a very stressful journey there, almost losing out to Inter Milan. After conceding late in the first leg last week, they came into the home tie with a 1-1 stalemate. Juventus scored early, but allowed Inter back into the game in the 83rd minute, taking the match to extra time. Luckily for the hosts, Lineth Beerenstyn scored in the 110th minute to re-establish their lead, and Juventus hung on until the end, setting up a final against Roma in May. Julia Grosso, once again a staple of the Bianconere midfield, played the full 120 minutes for the team. 

After a difficult match against Reims last week, Lyon again found themselves with only a narrow win against Marie Levasseur’s FC Fleury; after maintaining a 2-0 lead for the vast majority of the match, the French champions lost the clean sheet in the 97th minute. Despite this, Vanessa Gilles put in another solid performance at the back, with 6/9 duels won and five clearances made – as well as narrowly missing out on scoring herself. Rivals Paris Saint-Germain had an easier time of their match, beating Reims 4-0, with Ashley Lawrence playing every minute. 

Chelsea had a more crowded schedule this week, with two league matches to play. Buchanan and Fleming started both games and Buchanan in particular impressed. In a 3-1 win against Brighton, the centre-back maintained a 91% passing accuracy, with 11 recoveries, seven accurate long balls, and 4/4 duels won. At the weekend, she continued this form against a trickier opponent in a 1-0 win over Manchester United, keeping Alessia Russo quiet throughout; rumour has it, Buchanan still has United’s star striker in her pocket.

Adriana Leon found herself dropped from the Manchester United squad again, having taken a spot on the bench for their last couple of matches. Shelina Zadorsky also sat out Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 loss to Liverpool due to illness. The result marks the ninth league loss in a row for Spurs, who look dangerously close to the relegation zone, with only a two point advantage over bottom place Leicester City. There was positive news for Sabrina D’Angelo, however – after sustaining an injury during the international break, the goalkeeper was back on the bench for Arsenal in Sunday’s 4-0 victory over Reading.

Despite a tough group, Evelyne Viens and Kristianstads cruised through to the Svenska Cup semi-finals, with a 5-2 win over Alingsås. Viens was amongst the goalscorers once more, and will look to continue this form in league play, which begins in a couple of weeks time. Clarissa Larisey and BK Hacken also made their way through to the next round after beating Vittsjö 4-0, and will play against Viens and Kristianstads on 18 March for a place in the cup final.

Player of the week: Cloé Lacasse

Stats

Goals: 3 (Lacasse x2, Viens)

Assists: 2 (Lacasse x2)