Current issues at UWCL: Should a goalkeeper have ruled out a Manchester City goal? Why can't Arsenal score more goals?

The Women's Champions League is back, and the first round of the league stage has already left a lot to analyze. Barcelona and OL Lyonnes have stumbled, but all other games were decided in detail. Next, what was evident for Brazilian fans who follow European football.

First round results and scores

Chelsea beat Austria Wien 1-0 despite opening the scoring early. Arsenal also struggled to attack something that became a worrying trend and only secured 1-0 over HB Køge with a penalty in the 93rd minute. Manchester City drew 2-2 against Bayern Munich, with the first goal being a matter of debate. There were also eye-catching draws between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, and between OH Leuven and Roma.

Why Arsenal are still struggling to score

Arun: The Arsenal attack is experiencing a crisis of confidence, and there seems to be a mental blockage. The growing discussion about the lack of goals - only three out of four games this season - has clearly reached the players, and the anxiety in the stands is transmitted to them.

There was a sense of relief at Meadow Park when Chloe Kelly hit a volley into the corner against HB Køge defender Steph Catley mentioned that feeling in the post-game interview on Disney+ , but when VAR called off the goal all anxieties immediately returned.

The fact that Arsenal had only two goal kicks in the game points to an attack with no belief in their own capabilities. German striker Selina Cerci was the only one who seemed free of pressure, and it was her boldness on the pitch which earned Arsenal a 93rd-minute penalty converted by Mariona Caldentey to secure victory.

Maybe it's no coincidence that Arsenal's erased performances this season have happened at home. The next three matches in all competitions are away, and that might even help.

Keogh: Arsenal's goal problem comes from their insistence on climbing their best striker in the wrong position. They have one of the world's best centre-forwards in England Alessia Russo, but technician Renee Slegers continues to climb up midfield to fit Stina Blackstenius into attack.

It's a tactical experiment that has rarely worked in Arsenal's favour and prevented Russo from developing the consistency expected of a traditional nine shirt.

Arsenal's system calls for one of their main attackers to act away from the area where he is most dangerous, and that inevitably has an impact. When Arsenal ends up sending crosses into the area, Russo isn't always there to finish, and this has become a predictable pattern that opponents anticipate.

Climbing Russo in his best and preferred position would not magically solve all of Arsenal's offensive problems after all, the teammates are also out of aim but it would resolve some of the tactical issues limiting the attack.

Will this season's UWCL be more competitive?

Kirkland: It's too early to tell, and we should wait for more evidence than just one round before drawing broad conclusions, but it looks like that might be the case.

I think it's detrimental to the image of what the Champions League should be top teams facing each other in high-level matches seeing many games decided by five, six or seven goals difference.

Last season we saw a lot of this: just look at the first round of 2025-26 when 39 goals were scored, including Barcelona 7-1 Bayern Munich, Real Madrid 6-2 Roma and Atlético de Madrid 6-0 St. Pölten.[citation needed] There will always be some results outside the curve, and that's normal especially with teams like OL Lyonnes and Barça involved but many of them undermine what the Champions League is supposed to represent.

Let's see if the tighter scores continue or it was just a coincidence.

Keogh: Since the introduction of the Swiss format, competition has become more balanced. The Champions League is no longer as predictable or easy for European giants as it was in the traditional group format.

But it is also worth noting how teams, particularly those in the Women's Super League - widely considered one of the strongest leagues in the world - suffered in the first round.

Chelsea were forced to withstand sustained pressure from a dominant attack by Austria Wien, while Arsenal squandered chances and had to wait until the end to punch through HB Køge.

In other games, teams like Roma and OH Leuven are gaining confidence and building on their experience in European competitions. Perhaps the gap between established powers and the rest is beginning to narrow. Even Paris FC surprised Barcelona by opening the scoring within five minutes.

The result is a competition that seems more and more open, with the drama of the final minutes, the back-and-forth performances and tight scoring reflecting a campaign that will require these teams and force even the best to rethink their strategy.

Should Manchester City's first goal have been scored?

Keogh: Manchester City's first-half draw happened under bizarre circumstances. Losing 2-0, City defender Kerstin Casparij advanced from the right as Franziska Kett of Bayern pursued her. However, a signal was thrown into the field to the right of the area. Caspariz crossed anyway, and the attack ended up finding the goal through Beth Mead.

The debate over whether the goal should have been validated has raged ever since.

According to a German media report, the signals were allegedly thrown from outside the stadium and are linked to an outcry by disgruntled fans of local club SpVgg Unterhaching. Their anger stems from Bayern Munich's purchase of the 15,000-seat Underhaching Stadium, which has now become home to Bayern's women's team and will host their Champions League matches this season.

The initial reaction from spectators inside the stadium was relatively restrained. There was no immediate sense of panic, with most fans seeming more concerned about the start than the goalies themselves. This changed however when the referee chose not to stop the game and allowed Manchester City's goal to be validated.

The somewhat empty stadium suddenly became considerably noisier. German fans booed, shouted and mocked both Manchester City and the referee.

For several moments the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile, with fans seemingly united in the belief that the game should have been stopped. At half-time Bayern manager José Barcala could be seen shaking his head and speaking animatedly to his technical committee, apparently still frustrated by the decision to validate the goal.

Davies: It was a terrible performance by the Spanish referee Olatz Rivera Olmedo and his team, and it's hard to understand what justification there was at that time for allowing the game to continue.

In the law, specifically in Section 2 of Article 6 of the Safety and Security Regulations UEFA, if a flag falls on the field, the game must be stopped and handled by stadium security staff.

However, Law 5 of the IFAB's Laws of the Game in its "external interference" section states that if a flag falls on an area which does not impact play or is not an immediate danger to players and officials then it is all right to end the match.

In this situation, the signal clearly impacts the game given that it is a few yards from the ball and attacking and defending players. This should be considered dangerous, and the match should have been stopped at the moment when the signal fell down, so City's goal would not have happened.

What stood out in the first round?

Kirkland: For me, it was the performance of Felicia Schröder in Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with PSG. It was the first time I saw that teenager play live, personally, and it was impressive.

There are certain players whose qualities are always obvious, but they become even more apparent when you see them up close. Her performance would end up being frustrating, a series of clear missed chances costing Madrid the three points, but it was also chances that she herself created in large part.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Schröder's signing this summer, and without getting too excited, I am quite convinced that it was justified.

Will the addition of Schröder be enough to get Madrid past the quarter-finals this time?

Arun: Austria Wien drew attention with their determined performance against Chelsea. When midfielder Wieke Kaptein put the Blues in front early, you feared it would be a long night for the Champions League debutant. Far from capitulating, they held firm and took the battle to Chelsea.

Their physicality shone and in the second half they increased their offensive intensity. They accumulated more kicks (15) than Chelsea and equalled on goal kicks (6). Striker Modesta Uka was a lively presence in attack and hit the bar at the end with a superb effort.

Keogh: It seems that OL Lyonnes coach Jonatan Giráldez has finally figured out his best XI and, more importantly, how to maximize the wealth of individual quality at his disposal in the same team.

Lyonnes has one of the strongest squads in Europe, packed with international talent at every position. However, that quality did not always translate into last season. At times, the team seemed disconnected, confused and without knowing how to make all individual pieces work together.

Much of Giráldez's first season in charge was spent looking for a way to harness this talent within a cohesive and well-structured system. There were occasions last season, such as the final in Oslo and the semifinal away game against Arsenal, where it did not seem that this team knew how to play together.

But after a comprehensive 8-0 win over Servette and an impressive start to the French league, in which they scored 22 goals in three games, there are signs that Giráldez may have finally found the formula.

The challenge has never been a lack of talent, but to find a structure that could extract the best from players like Melchie Dumornay, Lily Yohannes, Ada Hegerberg and Marie-Antoinette Katoto at the same time on the pitch.

What that means for the fans

The first round indicates a more balanced competition, with fewer goals scored and more games decided in detail. For those who follow European women's football, the message is clear: teams considered smaller are evolving, and traditional powers no longer have an easy life.