7 things from women's football: The WSL title race is back on! Barça, Bayern seal titles

On the 6th of May in the year 2024 at noon time.

Barcelona and Bayern Munich both won their domestic championships and Paris Saint-Germain added another Coupe de France to their impressive collection. The Women's Super League saw an exciting finale between Manchester City and Arsenal, followed by a high-scoring match between Chelsea, which gave a boost to the title race.

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Late Blackstenius Goal Upsets City's Charge

Despite Manchester City's consistent performances, there has been an ongoing concern throughout the season regarding the possibility of one of their top three forwards getting injured. This could potentially interrupt the dynamic flow of their highly skilled attack, which currently stands as the most effective in the Women's Super League.

The worry came true last month when WSL's top scorer Khadija "Bunny" Shaw got injured on her foot. This prevented her from joining the team for the last games of the season. Although City still has three excellent attackers in Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, and Mary Fowler, the team seems incomplete without the Jamaican's remarkable performance.

City had a great chance to take home their first WSL championship since 2016 by defeating Arsenal on Sunday. They started off strongly and were successful in keeping Arsenal from making advances in the first half. Although they scored a goal with Hemp's first-half strike, it wasn't sufficient as Arsenal made a surprising comeback in the second half. The game changed gears dramatically and Stina Blackstenius emerged as the hero by scoring twice in the final minutes of the match, giving Arsenal a hard-fought victory.

The City team's inability to come up with new strategies and maintain their lead against the Gunners, which happened for the second time this season, revealed a lack of experience that may result in them losing the trophy if Chelsea wins their remaining two games.

Chelsea Face Bristol City In Opener

The last season of Chelsea, which is being managed by Emma Hayes, hasn't been great. It is evident how it has drained them mentally and emotionally because they still can't seem to score significant goals without Sam Kerr, who is injured. Within the past month, they have constantly been hit by setbacks. First, they lost the Conti Cup to Arsenal during extra time, then they were eliminated from the FA Cup semifinals by Manchester United, and finally, they had a tough loss in the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona during both legs of the match.

This week, the Blues played two games to catch up on their fixtures. In the first game, they lost 4-3 to Liverpool and things were quite disorganized. After the game, Hayes, the coach, tried to take some of the pressure off her players by admitting that they will not win the title.

After receiving support from Arsenal towards the end in Manchester, Chelsea headed to Kingsmeadow for Hayes' final game at home aware that they could regain their position and attacked Bristol City, who were already relegated.

With four goals by Guro Reiten, Chelsea celebrated a resounding 8-0 victory over their opponents. This victory has given Chelsea an added advantage over City, as they now have a better goal difference which could be significant in the final standings. Currently, they sit three points behind City but with a game in hand against Tottenham on May 15. A victory in this game would put them in control of the title race on the final match day.

Liverpool Soars To Fourth Place

Liverpool, led by Matt Beard, have had ups and downs in their performance. However, they have shown improvement compared to their shaky return to the WSL in the previous season. This year, they have displayed their strong spirit and confidence, as evidenced by their thrilling 4-3 triumph over Chelsea and their resilience to overcome exhaustion against Manchester United, securing fourth place with a 1-0 victory.

In the first half, Liverpool had a few opportunities to score, but they managed to maintain their advantage after Jenna Clark scored just before halftime, as United struggled to come up with new strategies. Any team that hopes to compete with the WSL's traditional top three will always have something to work on, but this season the Reds have taken a huge leap forward.

Barcelona Clinch Liga F As Expected

Barcelona celebrated the beginning of their Liga F title victory on Saturday. The team has only lost two points this season, which was caused by their draw at home against Levante.

Even though they were a bit tired from the season, Barcelona, who had made many changes to their team, came out victorious with a 4-1 win against Granada. As a result, they have secured the title with only four matchdays left. Their goal now is to stay focused and attempt to maintain their unbeaten record for the entire season.

In the upcoming month, Barcelona faces a tight schedule with two major matches - the Copa de la Reina final against Real Sociedad on May 18 and the Champions League final against Lyon on May 25. Adding to the challenge, the last weeks of Liga F still need to be played. After this, some players will have to continue playing with little break due to Euro qualifiers and the France Olympics. This demands stamina and focus from the Barcelona team as they strive to achieve the treble.

Bayern Munich Crowned German Champions Again

Bayern Munich's victory in the Frauen-Bundesliga this season seemed nearly certain, similar to Barcelona in their league. Bayern displayed remarkable consistency, achieving 17 victories and three draws in 20 matches. In contrast, challengers Wolfsburg faced difficulties reaching the finish line. Despite a dominant 5-1 triumph over Köln on Friday night, Bayern secured the championship title the next day with a 2-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen.

It hasn't been smooth sailing for Alexander Strauss and the team this season, but they managed to secure a victory and earn three points. Looking ahead to the next season, they have high hopes for their team as they welcome Wolfsburg's talented midfielder Lena Oberdorf, who will be transferred for a whopping €450,000. This new addition to the team is expected to bring them even more strength and power.

There is a possibility that we are entering a new period of control in the Frauen-Bundesliga. Straus winning their second consecutive title is just the beginning of what could be a very successful period for them.

Roma Lounging Seaside

It was bound to happen that Roma would win the Serie A championship, and they did just that on April 26th following Juventus' defeat to Inter Milan.

Ever since achieving victory, the group has been basking in their triumph, however, they have not been performing defensively as well in their latest matches. Despite being able to score, having gathered 10 points in their two recent games, the team has also allowed eight to slip through. In their previous games against Sassuolo and Inter over the week, they were compelled to win in the final seconds to keep their unbeatable record intact.

Alessandro Spugna has made the Giallorosse very enjoyable to watch; however, this week they have taken it to an almost comical level. Roma must now quickly shift their focus to the Coppa Italia final against Fiorentina on May 24. After an unpredictable season, it is understandable that they may have difficulty concentrating now that they have secured the title.

PSG Kicks Off Early Festivities

During a weekend that witnessed the distribution of numerous trophies across Europe, PSG emerged as victors of their fourth Coupe de France championship. Nevertheless, PSG's performance was not remarkable (as has been often observed this season) against Fleury, the team that defeated Lyon in the semifinals. Nonetheless, PSG managed to triumph with a 1-0 score, fulfilling what was required to take home the championship.

PSG won the game with a goal scored by Lieke Martens, who came on as a substitute during the second half. However, the team was playing with 10 players after defender Thiniba Samoura was given a second yellow card. This victory is important for PSG as they go into the Division 1 Feminine playoffs, where they will probably face Lyon in the final.