Mead, Russo lead Arsenal to first Women’s Champions League win
Published: 17 October 2025, 5:09:09
England stars Beth Mead and Alessia Russo inspired Arsenal to their first win in this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League, securing a 2-0 victory over Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday.
The Gunners bounced back from last week’s 2-1 home defeat to Lyon, with both Mead and Russo making decisive contributions in the final half-hour of the match.
Benfica, now sitting 15th in the 18-team group stage standings, have endured a difficult start, suffering back-to-back losses.
In other matches, Paris Saint-Germain also remain winless after two games, following a 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid.
The Spanish side continues their strong start to the campaign, while PSG are still searching for their first points.
One of the most dramatic finishes of the day unfolded in Munich, where Germany forward Lea Schüller scored in the 95th minute to hand Bayern a 2-1 win over Juventus.
Meanwhile, Manchester United maintained their perfect start to the tournament with a narrow 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid. Swedish winger Fridolina Rolfö, 31, scored the only goal with a first-half volley, building on United’s earlier win against Valerenga. The English side now sit fourth in the standings.
Atletico, who had previously thrashed St. Pölten 6-0, dropped to ninth after the defeat. The match in Madrid ended with both teams down to 10 players, as United’s Dutch defender Dominique Janssen and Atleti’s Spanish midfielder Alexia Fernandez were both sent off.
Elsewhere, Barcelona remain top of the table following a dominant 4-0 win away to Roma, while Chelsea mirrored that scoreline with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Paris FC on Wednesday.
