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Donegal star scores again in Germany, mixed bag for Irish in FA Cup and Lyon crash out of Champions League

It was a busy weekend of women’s football across the continent.

imago-20210321 Amber Barrett. Imago / PA Images Imago / PA Images / PA Images

DONEGAL STRIKER AMBER Barrett continued her fine run of goal-scoring form in Germany, on a day of mixed fortunes for Irish internationals across the continent.

Barrett, again, starred for her FC Koln side in their 2. Bundesliga 3-1 away win over SG Andernach. It was the former Peamount United and Donegal ladies football star’s fifth goal in seven league outings, as she hopes to lead her side to promotion — and an immediate bounce-back — to the German top-flight.

There, Claire O’Riordan’s MSV Duisburg edge closer and closer to relegation after their 1-0 defeat to Turbine Potsdam today. The Limerick woman picked up a yellow card in the 87th minute, as a frustrating few months in the Frauen-Bundesliga continue. 

Fresh off the back of an international window in which they fell to back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Denmark and Belgium, but showed some really positive signs, Barrett and O’Riordan were among the contingent of Vera Pauw’s internationals returning to club action overseas this weekend.

In England, several were in action in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Captain Katie McCabe — who earned her 50th cap for the Girls In Green in Brussels — returned to the Arsenal starting XI and helped them to a 10-0 win over lower-league Gillingham. The Gunners now face Crystal Palace in the fifth round, with most fixtures yet to be fully confirmed.

Rianna Jarrett impressed through the 90 and helped her Brighton & Hove Albion side beat Bristol City 1-0 — Megan Connolly was on the Seagulls’ bench — and book their fifth-round meeting with Huddersfield.

Like Connolly, Courtney Brosnan was held in reserve as West Ham were 11-0 winners over Chichester City, now pitted against WSL counterparts Man City next. Leanne Kiernan remains out of the squad due to injury.

City — home to Megan Campbell — were 8-0 winners over Aston Villa today, while Birmingham City — with Harriet Scott as an unused substitute and Ruesha Littlejohn missing out through suspension — saw off Coventry United on a 5-1 scoreline.

Hayley Nolan was on the losing side as Chelsea beat London City Lionesses 6-0, while Grace Moloney was in goal as Reading exited after an extra-time 3-2 defeat at the hands of Tottenham.

Niamh Fahey came off the bench in Liverpool’s clash with Leicester, but she couldn’t save the Reds from exiting the competition after a 1-0 defeat.

This weekend’s fourth round results

  • Chelsea 6-0 London City Lionesses
  • Manchester City 8-0 Aston Villa
  • Birmingham City 5-1 Coventry United
  • West Ham 11-0 Chichester City
  • Reading 2-3 Tottenham
  • Everton 2-1 Durham
  • Lewes 1-2 Southampton
  • Burnley 0-6 Manchester United
  • Huddersfield Town 3-2 Derby County
  • Crystal Palace 3-0 London Bees
  • Arsenal 10-0 Gillingham
  • Middlesborough 0-9 Sheffield United
  • Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 Bristol City
  • Oxford United 1-0 Charlton
  • Leicester City 1-0 Liverpool
  • Wolves 2-5 Blackburn Rovers.

Meanwhile in Scotland, Irish-eligible Aoife Colvill scored a double and Donegal teenage midfielder Tyler Toland impressed as Glasgow City were 8-0 winners over Motherwell.

An Australian youth international, Colvill was called up to train with the Irish squad by Pauw recently, but withdrew at the eleventh hour due to injury. Irish duo Niamh Farrelly and Clare Shine are also on the books at Glasgow, but both were absent today, an injury setback for the former confirmed during the international break.

Celtic, their opponents in next week’s Glasgow derby, beat Spartans 5-1 today. Keeva Keenan was on the bench, with Izzy Atkinson also at the club, but neither featured today.

Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain ended Lyon’s five-year unbeaten run in the Women’s Champions League with Sunday’s 2-1 win to reach the semi-finals on away goals.

Screenshot 2021-04-18 at 19.35.59 Disappointment for Wendie Renard as her OG settled the tie. PA Images. PA Images.

Hosts Lyon have won the title each year since 2016 and the fixture had been moved after they had registered numerous cases of Covid-19 in their squad.

The holders had won the first leg 1-0 in the French capital but the Parisians bounced back at the OL Stadium to secure a last four meeting with Barcelona.

USA forward Catarina Macario scored early before a PSG comeback.

France midfielder Grace Geyoro equalised after 25 minutes with a rifling shot into the top corner before Wendie Renard’s second-half own goal which won the tie for PSG.

Forward Kadidiatou Diani broke down the right and Lyon captain Renard guided her dangerous cross into her own net on the hour mark.

In the other semi-final Bayern Munich face Chelsea with the first legs on 24-25 April, and the return legs on 1-2 May.

- Additional reporting from © – AFP, 2021

Screenshot 2020-11-24 at 9.04.07 AM

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