Prolific strikers and mirrored tables - Women's Football
In Germany, the upper reaches of the Women’s Bundesliga table are a carbon copy of the men’s competition, with Bayern Munich currently leading both leagues while Wolfsburg lurk below them in second. Meanwhile, Perth Glory are edging ever closer to the Australian title, while the door to the quarter-finals is already wide open for some teams in Europe’s UEFA Women's Champions League.
Germany: Seeing double in the leagues
Bayern’s women reinforced their Women’s Bundesliga lead with a 4-1 win over Jena on matchday nine. Although Wolfsburg had already posted a resounding 7-0 victory over Herforder SV, their inferior goal difference forced them to settle for second place. Anna Blasse netted a brace for the Wölfinnen, with Stephanie Bunte, Martina Muller, Lina Magull and Caroline Hansen also getting their names on the scoresheet along with Herforder’s Lena Wermelt, who put through her own net.
Frankfurt also scored a magnificent seven without reply against Freiburg to cement their hold on third place, Celia Sasic grabbing the headlines with four of the goals. Turbine Potsdam also kept in touch with the upper reaches of the table with a dominant 6-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen.
Top three: Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg (both 23), FFC Frankfurt (22)
UEFA Women's Champions League: French giants draw
German sides Wolfsburg and Frankfurt continued their winning streak in Europe’s premier club competition. The Hessians have one foot in the quarter-finals after a 5-0 Round of 16 first-leg victory against Italian title challengers ASD Torres, while the same can be said of defending champions Wolfsburg after their 4-0 defeat of Austrian league champions Neulengbach.
Bristol Academy (1-0 against Barcelona), Swedish duo Rosengard (2-1 against Fortuna Hjorring), Linkoping (5-0 against Zvezda Perm), Swiss champions Zurich (2-1 against Glasgow City) and Danish representatives Brondby (5-0 against Gintra) all posted wins to raise their hopes of reaching the last eight.
Meanwhile, the eagerly-awaited encounter between French championship rivals Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain ended in a 1-1 draw. German international Fatmire Alushi netted an equaliser for PSG after Corine Petit-Franco put the two-time Champions League winners in front.
All second-leg matches will be played next Wednesday and Thursday.
Australia: Brisbane rediscover how to win
Perth Glory extended their W-League lead to eight points after beating Newcastle Jets 4-2 to record their ninth victory of the current season. Elsewhere, FC Sydney endured a 3-0 defeat by Canberra, surrendering second place to their opponents in the process. In contrast, defending champions Melbourne Victory returned to winning ways by prevailing 3-0 against Western Sydney Wanderers to rise to third in the table. FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Nadine Angerer and Brisbane Roar secured three points for only the second time this season to move off the bottom of the table.
Top three: Perth Glory (24 points), Canberra United (16), Melbourne Victory (14)
France: Juvisy capture second spot
Juvisy seized the opportunity to climb into second place and take momentary possession of a Champions League spot. While Lyon and PSG battled it out in Europe, the six-time Division 1 Feminine champions proved unstoppable against Guingamp, emerging 6-1 winners. The match was another opportunity for Gaetane Thiney to demonstrate her goalscoring prowess after her 13 goals for France in qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Canada 2015 made her Europe’s most prolific striker. She continued this impressive form by scoring another three goals against Guingamp, with a brace from Camille Catala and a further strike from Kadidiatou Diani capping Juvisy’s dominant display. Lyon and Paris will play their rearranged league fixtures on 3 December.
Top three: Lyon (32), Juvisy (30), Paris Saint-Germain (29)