Soccer fans here can still hope that, like last season, a Canadian will lift the UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy. Five representatives of the Maple Leaf are from clubs that were entered into Friday’s quarter-final draw, and three of the four clashes will feature them.
If, in two of the three duels in question, the fans of Canada will naturally know who to give their support to, the quarter-final between Olympique Lyonnais and Chelsea will divide them. Vanessa Gilles, on loan to Lyon until the end of June, will cross swords with her national team colleagues Kadeisha Buchanan and Jessie Fleming.
Buchanan won his fifth Champions League with OL on May 21 before accepting a contract with Chelsea, where it is hoped that his experience in this competition will allow the club to take the last step towards great honours. The London side advanced to their first European final in 2021, and they were corrected 4-0 by Barcelona.
In the other half of the table, Paris Saint-Germain have been paired with Wolfsburg, who are trying to regain their throne after their two European title conquests in 2013 and 2014 and their three lost finals since. Ashley Lawrence, who is in her seventh season with PSG, has only participated in one final, lost against OL in 2017.
Lawrence could make a date with Canadian goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo in the semi-finals – if the latter’s club Arsenal overcome Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The 29-year-old joined the London club in January but has only played two WSL Cup appearances so far, and it seems unlikely that she will oust Austria’s Manuela Zinsberger for the European meetings.
The last quarter-final will pit AS Roma against FC Barcelona. The elimination round begins on March 21 and 22 with the first leg matches.
