October 18, (THEWILL) – In a 2-0 major upset, Paris FC knocked out UEFA Women’s Champions League finalists, Wolfsburg, to advance to the group stage of the competition for the first time. The French side, who defeated Arsenal on penalties through Chiamaka Nnadozie’s heroics earlier in the tournament, secured a 5-3 aggregate victory over the German champions.
Julie Dufour opened the scoring for Paris FC in the 38th minute, after Gaetane Thiney had a penalty saved early on. Wolfsburg also missed from the spot through Dominique Janssen, who was denied by a brilliant save from Nigeria’s World Cup star Nnadozie, after also stopping two penalties against Arsenal.
Louise Fleury wrapped up the victory late on as Paris FC held on to their first leg advantage. The result marks another famous European night for Paris FC, who have enjoyed a remarkable run since rebranding in 2017. They now await the Champions League group stage draw as they look to test themselves against the continent’s elite clubs.
Attention now turns back to domestic action, where Paris FC will be hoping to carry their European form into the French Division 1 Feminine. They face Dijon on Sunday, buoyed by this victory over one of the strongest sides in women’s football.
For Wolfsburg, it is a painful early exit from a competition they were hoping to go one better in after losing last year’s final. The German champions will have to pick themselves up quickly with a Frauen Bundesliga clash against Hoffenheim to come this weekend.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
