Matildas have mixed fortunes as Mary Fowler’s City take down Barcelona while Arsenal trio go down in Germany

Title-holders Barcelona have been beaten 2-0 by Manchester City to start their defence in the Women’s Champions League with a rare loss in the group stage.

Man City, featuring Matildas star Mary Fowler, outplayed the two-time defending champions in the first half of their Group D clash on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).

They took a 36th-minute lead through Naomi Layzell, then had to repel waves of Barcelona attacks before sealing the win.

Jamaica forward Khadija Shaw ran clear in the 77th minute and rounded goalkeeper Cata Coll, before calmly placing her shot behind a covering defender on the goal-line.

Man City’s performance outshone even that of Bayern Munich and Pernille Harder, who scored a 13-minute hat trick late in a 5-2 win over Arsenal.

In the day’s other games, Swedish side Hammarby beat St Polten 2-0 in the same group as Man City and Barcelona, and Juventus won 1-0 in Norway against Valerenga in Group C.

Barcelona had lost just once in 18 group-stage games in three previous editions of this Women’s Champions League format, which will change after this season.

The Spanish team’s stellar line-up was hustled out of its rhythm early by Man City, who struck a post in the 16th minute from Lauren Hemp’s shot at the end of a slick move.

Man City led from a corner forced by Coll’s stunning save to deny Jessica Park. When the cross came in, the goalkeeper lost her bearings and a header back into the goalmouth by Vivianne Miedema got a decisive touch from defender Layzell among a cluster of bodies.

In Germany, a late second-half hat-trick from former Chelsea star Harder consigned Arsenal to a 5-2 defeat at Bayern Munich.

It was a big blow for Arsenal’s three Matildas - Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Steph Catley - as the Gunners found themselves outplayed by the German side.

Arsenal had been knocked out in qualifying by Paris FC last year and after they navigated fixtures with Rangers, Rosenborg and a two-legged round with Hacken, the Women’s Super League outfit were unable to claim any points from their group C opener.

Mariona Caldentey put Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners ahead in Munich after 30 minutes but, after Laia Codina made it 2-2 in the 56th minute, Harder ended her European goal drought for Bayern with three goals in the final 17 minutes to fire the hosts to an impressive victory.

Arsenal had been held to a frustrating 0-0 WSL draw by Everton on Sunday, but had hoped to rebound with Leah Williamson and Stina Blackstenius returning to the starting line-up.

It all started well for Arsenal when, on the half-hour, a lively Foord found Katie McCabe down the left flank and her cross from the left was guided into the bottom corner on the volley by Caldentey.

But it only sparked Bayern into life, with the hosts equalising with two minutes of the half left when Georgia Stanway’s superb cross was headed in by captain Glodis Viggosdottir.

Bayern continued to be on the front foot after the break and went ahead when Klara Buhl passed into Sydney Lohmann, who rifled in at the near post in the 56th minute.

Arsenal produced an instant reply as Codina headed in McCabe’s corner nine minutes later but the away side collapsed during the final 20 minutes.

Cooney-Cross and Catley were brought off the bench to help Arsenal find some impetus, but Harder, who’d failed to score in her six Champions League games for Bayern last season, broke that duck in the 73rd minute when she nodded home from a Carolin Simon corner.

It was 4-2 five minutes later when Harder sent another effort beyond Zinsberger from Buhl’s cross, before she completed her hat-trick with 86 minutes on the clock.