Women’s Champions League — Harder scores twice as Bayern beats PSG; Chelsea draws with Hacken

Bayern Munich's Pernille Harder (right) tormented Paris St Germain's defence, scoring both goals in her side’s 2-1 win. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Chelsea missed the chance to top the UEFA Women’s Champions League standings on Tuesday after playing out a goalless draw at Häcken before Bayern Munich rose to second by winning at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The top three heading into Tuesday in the 18-team table — Barcelona, OL Lyonnes and Arsenal, who combined to win the past 11 titles — play later in the week.

Just one of Chelsea’s 29 shots on target would have been enough to put the London club above Barcelona, the only team to start with three straight wins.

Bayern’s 2-1 win at PSG in a later game lifted the German champion into second place on eight points.

Manchester City’s 4-1 victory at Inter Milan, a first win after three draws, carried the English champion into seventh place.

Real Madrid beat Paris FC 3-0, with all the goals arriving in the second half, including from substitutes Lineth Beerensteyn and Linda Caicedo. Roma won 2-1 against visiting Servette.

Barcelona, the defending champion, will play Arsenal in a standalone game Thursday that is a rematch of the 2025 final won by the English side.

Lyonnes goes to fifth-place Juventus on Wednesday. Benfica’s scheduled game on the same day at home to Austria Vienna was postponed because of forecast stormy weather.

Chelsea has scored only three goals in its four games in this Champions League campaign, earning eight points for coach Sonia Bompastor’s team. It went goalless at Häcken after Maika Hamano’s shot clipped the top of the crossbar entering stoppage time.

Goalkeeper Livia Peng made it four straight clean sheets for Chelsea in the competition, while at the other end, Häcken’s Jennifer Falk won the player of the game award.

Bayern took a deserved two-goal lead before halftime as Denmark star Pernille Harder tormented the PSG defence.

Harder’s forceful run in the 29th minute got her to the byline, and her low cutback into the goalmouth went in off goalkeeper Katarzyna Kiedrzynek’s heel for an own goal.

Harder’s angled pass into the path of Klara Bühl then let the Germany international sweep home a second goal in the 40th. PSG cut the lead on Paulina Dudek’s penalty in the 65th, awarded after a VAR check for handball.

Bayern will host Barcelona in the sixth and final round on December 16, when only the top four advance to the quarterfinals. Teams fifth to 12th enter a knockout-playoff round.