Women's UCL roundup: Putellas stars for Barcelona, Arsenal win 5-1

Paris, Nov 10, 2021 (AFP) - Captain Alexia Putellas netted twice as Women's Champions League holders Barcelona kept up their perfect record in this season's competition by easing to a 4-0 win over German visitors Hoffenheim on Wednesday.

Jennifer Hermoso headed Barcelona into a fifth-minute lead before Putellas smashed in a left-foot free-kick from 20 metres out to make it 2-0 before the midway point in the first half.

Putellas - the UEFA women's player of the year who is also a leading contender to win the Ballon d'Or later this month - then made it 3-0 just after the half-hour mark, her shot dribbling through the legs of Hoffenheim goalkeeper Martina Tufekovic.

Marta Torrejon headed in a Putellas cross to complete the rout in the 74th minute, shortly after the floodlights briefly went out at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.

Barcelona, whose coach Jonatan Giraldez is not yet 30, maintain their 100 percent record in Group C and have 12 wins out of 12 in all competitions this season, with 64 goals scored and just three conceded.

Arsenal sit second in their section on six points in the inaugural group stage of the women's competition after cruising to a 5-1 away to the Danish champions Koge.

The English WSL leaders saw Nikita Parris have an early penalty saved, but they went ahead in the 27th minute when Australia's Steph Catley curled in a free-kick in front of the sizeable travelling support.

Parris made it 2-0 just after the hour mark and Caitlin Foord, another Australian international, headed in the third after captain Jordan Nobbs saw her shot hit the bar.

American Maddie Pokorny pounced on a Catley mistake to pull one back for the hosts just outside Copenhagen, but substitute Anna Patten made it 4-1 and Nobbs then completed the rout.

Seven-time Champions League winners Lyon, who won the trophy five years running from 2016 to 2020, host German champions Bayern Munich later in Group D, while Benfica face Swedish champions Haecken.

On Tuesday last season's runners-up Chelsea crushed Servette 7-0 in Switzerland to move two points clear at the top of Group A from Wolfsburg, who drew 2-2 at Juventus.

Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid 4-0 to make it three wins out of three in Group B.

PSG's victory was overshadowed on Wednesday when one of their players, France international Aminata Diallo, was detained by police in connection with a recent vicious street assault on teammate Kheira Hamraoui.