PSG, Ajax and Hacken squeeze into women’s Champions League last eight

A pair of late own goals on Tuesday helped Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax lock up the last two places in the women’s Champions League quarter-finals.

Earlier Hacken had won 1-0 at Real Madrid to join Barcelona, Benfica, Brann, Chelsea and Lyon who had ensured last eight-places before the final round of group games.

PSG needed to avoid defeat at Bayern Munich to advance and came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw helped when Georgia Stanway deflected a shot into her own net in the 88th minute.

At almost exactly the same time in Amsterdam, Roma’s Zara Kramzar headed into her own goal to give Ajax a 2-1 victory and first place in Group C.

Bayern defender Stanway deflected in a shot by Sandy Baltimore

Giulia Gwinn had headed Bayern into a first half lead.

Tabitha Chawinga levelled in the 73rd minute but Sydney Lohmann put Bayern ahead again two minutes later.

With two minutes left, England midfielder Stanway deflected Sandy Baltimore’s shot into her own net.

In four minutes Bayern had gone from group winners to elimination. For the first time in the history of the Women’s Champions League, there will be no German club in the last eight.

“The players deserved way more, they would’ve deserved to win the game and proceed to the next round,” Bayern coach Alexander Straus told the club website.

“Two strong teams played each other – that could’ve been a semi-final. At the end, the result is frustrating.”

Meanwhile, PSG who owned the group with losses to Ajax and Bayern, staged one last fightback to go through.

“It’s a big accomplishment for us. We lost the first two games and didn’t start well, so to end up on top of the group is a big accomplishment,” said PSG midfielder Jackie Groenen told UEFA.com.

“We didn’t really show up in the first half, but we managed to fight ourselves into the second half.”

Ajax seized their chance to top the group when Kramzar put an Ajax corner into her own net.

“The main goal was to focus on ourselves,” said 16-year-old Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes.

“But I heard someone say Bayern were ahead right before the corner. So that was incredible.”

In Madrid, forward Rosa Kafaji, 20, headed into the top of the net after an hour to give Hacken victory.

The Swedish club finished second behind Group D winners Chelsea who ended Paris FC’s hopes with a 4-0 rout in the French capital on Tuesday.

Hacken would only have failed to take second place if they had lost and Paris had won.

“We were smart today; we played pretty smart,” Mak Lind, the Hacken coach, told UEFA.com.

“We did it by ourselves; we didn’t need help to qualify and I’m so proud of that.

“Not many believed that we could qualify before this group stage and we are showing people that we can play really good football.”

The group stage ends on Wednesday with four matches but the two qualifiers from both groups are decided.

ea/pb/iwd

AFP

(NAMPA / AFP)