LAST UPDATE | 30 Jan

A MUCH-CHANGED CHELSEA side eased to victory at Paris FC to end their Women’s Champions League group stage undefeated.

First-half headers from Fran Kirby and Mia Fishel before late efforts from Guro Reiten and Maren Mjelde secured a comfortable 4-0 victory in the French capital for the Blues.

Emma Hayes’ side had already guaranteed themselves a quarter-final spot and she took the opportunity to shuffle her pack.

After an even opening, it was England international Kirby who broke the deadlock with the visitors’ first clear opportunity. Jelena Cankovic crossed to the back post where Kirby arrived unmarked to head home for her first Champions League goal of the campaign.

The hosts, making their group-stage debut – having knocked Arsenal out earlier in the tournament – responded well as Chelsea goalkeeper Zecira Musovic was forced into a smart save, courtesy of an acute Mathilde Bourdieu.

Paris, though, had not learnt their lesson from Kirby’s opener and were caught out in startlingly-similar fashion later in the half as Cankovic this time crossed for Fishel to head home.

With the hosts needing victory to keep alive their hopes of reaching the last eight, Julie Dufour missed a sitter after the restart, leaning back and firing over the crossbar from close range.

A number of defensive mix-ups allowed Chelsea to wrap up the win as Reiten was the beneficiary, tapping home after miscommunication on the edge of the Paris box.

There was more questionable defending as Mjelde flicked home a corner with goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie poorly positioned.

Chelsea were good value for their win and will be seeded for the quarter-final draw on 6 February – avoiding some of Europe’s big-hitters.

A pair of late own goals on helped Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax lock up the last two places.

Earlier Hacken had won 1-0 at Real Madrid to join Barcelona, Benfica, Brann, Chelsea and Lyon who had ensured last eight-places before the final round of group games.

PSG needed to avoid defeat at Bayern Munich to advance and came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw helped when Georgia Stanway deflected a shot into her own net in the 88th minute.

At almost exactly the same time in Amsterdam, Roma’s Zara Kramzar headed into her own goal to give Ajax a 2-1 victory and first place in Group C.

Giulia Gwinn had headed Bayern into a first-half lead. Tabitha Chawinga levelled in the 73rd minute but Sydney Lohmann put Bayern ahead again two minutes later.

With two minutes left, England midfielder Stanway deflected Sandy Baltimore’s shot into her own net.

In four minutes, Bayern had gone from group winners to elimination. For the first time in the history of the Women’s Champions League, there will be no German club in the last eight.

In Madrid, 20-year-old forward Rosa Kafaji headed into the top of the net after an hour to give Hacken victory.

The Swedish club finished second behind Group D winners Chelsea.

Additional reporting from – © AFP 2024