Kyra Cooney-Cross, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley have won silverware this weekend, as Arsenal won their second Conti Cup in a row. Elsewhere, Emily van Egmond scored a late winner for the San Diego Wave, and BK Häcken advanced to the final of the Swedish Cup.
Read our review of the Matildas Abroad action below.
England
Conti Cup
A 116th-minute winner to Swedish international Stina Blackstenius gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Conti Cup final. It was an evenly fought contest to the end – the two sides unable to be beaten – before a great run from Caitlin Foord set up an opportunity for Blackstenius to score the only goal of the game.
Foord came off the bench in the 72nd minute before she was able to come on and influence the win. Steph Catley was an 84th-minute substitute, while Kyra Cooney-Cross entered the field of play at half-time of extra time.
Caitlin Foord made it happen in the lead up. Stina Blackstenius scored the winner ❤️🤍
A goal that sent Arsenal to their seventh Women's League Cup trophy.
Free to watch highlights | https://t.co/M0Qs1vzj7j pic.twitter.com/U0zZgFDh7k— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) April 1, 2024
WSL
Mary Fowler started and picked up two assists as Manchester City defeated Liverpool 4-1. Khadija Shaw scored a brace as the Jamaican international gave herself a six-goal lead on top of the Golden Boot race. Alanna Kennedy also started and played the full match for City, while Teagan Micah was on the bench for Liverpool.
Aston Villa and Leicester City were unable to be separated in a tightly fought affair, the match ending 2-2. The Foxes came from behind to take the lead in the second half through a Sam Tierney goal, but England international Rachel Daly equalised in the 75th minute. Remy Siemsen was an unused substitute for Leicester while Courtney Nevin was ruled out of the matchday squad through injury.
Manchester United overran Everton 4-1. The Toffees took the lead early thanks to a Katja Snoeijs goal. It remained that way into the second half, when United’s pressure finally told. Goals to Millie Turner and Leah Galton either side of an Ella Toone brace were enough to see United reclaim fourth place on the table – still six points behind Arsenal in third. Clare Wheeler played the full match in midfield for Everton.
West Ham and Brighton & Hove Albion played out a scoreless draw that gives the Hammers a seven-point buffer on the relegation zone. It was a game of relatively few chances but perhaps Brighton will feel aggrieved with their inability to convert 59% possession into goals. Mackenzie Arnold started and kept a clean sheet for West Ham while Katrina Gorry has been ruled out for the rest of the season through injury.
France
Paris FC accounted for Montpellier with a 3-0 win. A goal to Clara Matéo in between a Kessya Bussy brace was enough for the victory. Sarah Hunter was not in the matchday squad.
PSG eased past Dijon 3-0 on Sunday. Dijon were unable to conjure up a shot on target and had 27% possession as they struggled to deal with the strength of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finalists. Clare Hunt was unavailable for the match due to injury.
3-0 was the theme for the weekend, with Lyon defeating Le Havre by the same margin. Le Havre failed to have even a single shot, such was the dominance of the defending champions. Ellie Carpenter started and played the full match at right-back.
Sweden
BK Häcken are through to the final of the Women’s Swedish Cup after a dramatic 7-6 penalty shootout victory over Hammarby. The teams were unable to be separated after both teams scored in extra time, and an epic shootout ensued – ten players from each side were required to step up. In the end, it was 24-year-old Clarissa Larisey whose spot kick got the job done. Aivi Luik started the match before being substituted in first-half stoppage time with an injury.
Kristianstads DFF won a friendly against Linköping 2-1. Amy Sayer and Clare Polkinghorne were both involved, with Sayer picking up an assist.
United States
Emily van Egmond came off the bench to score a 98th-minute winner for the San Diego Wave against the Seattle Reign. The Wave were the better team throughout but were unable to find a breakthrough against a sturdy Reign defence. Enter van Egmond. In a goal familiar to CommBank Matildas fans, van Egmond was on the edge of the area to pick up a ball in the second phase of play and smashed it into the back of the net.
EMILY CALLED GAME 🌊 pic.twitter.com/UipkCXdMDC
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) March 30, 2024
It gave the Wave their first three points of the regular season. Van Egmond and Kaitlyn Torpey both entered the field of play from the bench in the 58th minute.
Spain
Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 2-0 thanks to a Naomie Feller brace either side of the half-time break. Barring a dramatic collapse to either themselves or Barcelona above them, Madrid looks almost guaranteed to finish in second place in the Primera División. Hayley Raso started the match for Madrid and played the full game.