Chelsea have a narrow 1-0 advantage over Fiorentina to take to Italy net week in the UEFA Women’s Champions League Round of 16, while Glasgow City trail Barcelona by five goals.
The game was just 9 minutes old when Erin Cuthbert’s cross hits a defender on the arm in sliding in to block it and Karen Carney stepped up to convert the resulting penalty.
But that was as good as it got for Chelsea, with Stephanie Ohrstrom denying them time and again, firstly with a great save to deny Fran Kirby, while Laura Agard made a last-ditch challenge to prevent Cuthbert scoring.
A Carney free kick found the head of Millie Bright but but Ohrstrom was equal to it and she also thwarted Ramona Bachmann after a Beth England run.
The Fiorentina keeper was not going to be beaten a second time, making three saves in quick succession, one from Carney and two from Kirby at close range.
Glasgow City beaten 5-0 at Barcelona
Scott Booth’s side went behind after a dozen minutes, as Keira Hamraoui took advantage of space and time to lob goalkeeper Lee Alexander.
Two goals followed in a three-minute spell approaching the break, Andressa Alves cutting the ball back for the unmarked Aitana Bonmati to slot into the corner and then Patricia Guijarro fired home after Alexander and her defence battled to keep the ball out.
Alves’s shot slipped through her keeper’s hands for 4-0 and then Maria Leon volleyed home from the edge of the box.
Wins elsewhere for French and German duos
Holders Lyon look well on their way to the quarter-finals with a 4-0 first leg away win at Ajax. Amel Majri and Selma Bacha’s first-half efforts were added to by Ada Hegerberg and Issy Christiansen.
Paris Saint-Germain returned from Linköping two goals to the good, Marie-Antoinette Katoto on target just before the break and Shuang Wang with the second on 80 minutes.
Bayern Munich will also begin their home game 2-0 up after victory in Zürich. Elvira Herzog put through her own goal 12 minutes in and Dominika Škorvánková completed the scoring with just 31 minutes played.
Conquerors of Manchester City in the last round, Atlético Madrid kept Wolfsburg at bay in the first half but conceded four times after the interval. Pernille Harder bagged a brace, Ewa Pajor and Caroline Graham Hansen one each.
Brøndby held hosts Lillestrom to a 1-1 draw, as the opener from Guro Reiten on the half-hour mark was cancelled out 5 minutes later by Emilie Henriksen.
Rosengård and Slavia Praha play their first leg tie on Thursday.
