Barcelona shook off the absence of Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati on Wednesday to beat Benfica in the Women’s Champions League. Chelsea also recorded a victory.
Three-time winners Barcelona retained control of the standings in the league stage with a 3-1 home win.
With Bonmati sidelined with a broken leg, Ewa Pajor gave Barça an early lead, allowing Chandra Davidson to level for the Portuguese side just seconds after half-time.
Christy Ucheibe’s own goal, quickly followed by Laia Aleixandri’s deflected shot, kept Barca unbeaten ahead of next week’s final league matches.
The score could have been much more lopsided had it not been for an excellent performance from Benfica goalkeeper Lena Pauels, who also denied Alexia Putellas from the spot.
Eight-time champion Lyon moved to second place thanks to goal difference. Melchie Dumornay’s second-half double helped debutants beat Manchester United 3-0.
English champions Chelsea moved past Juventus to move into third place, two points behind, with a 6-0 defeat to Roma to secure progression to the knockout stages.
Chelsea extended its unbeaten run in the group or league stages of the competition to 23 matches.
A first-half goal and assist from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd sealed the victory at Stamford Bridge, while Sjoeke Nusken, Maiko Hamano and Wieke Kaptein were also on target, with Lucy Bronze’s inch-perfect chip the icing on the cake.
Paris FC earned the honor of bragging rights over wealthy but eliminated city neighbors Paris Saint-Germain as a 1-0 win over Norway’s Valerenga secured its place in the play-offs.
Fiamma’s late stunner saved Atletico Madrid from a 2-2 draw at home to Bayern Munich.
The four highest-placed teams in the rankings will automatically progress to the quarter-finals, with fifth to twelfth places entering a two-legged play-off in February to secure a place in the last eight.
Defending champion Arsenal secured at least a place in the knockout play-offs on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Dutch side Twente.
Published on December 11, 2025
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