Canadians in Europe: D'Angelo stars in Arsenal win
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Sabrina D'Angelo starred in an Arsenal win, while Kadeisha Buchanan and Jessie Fleming helped Chelsea pick up a key three points and Alphonso Davies and Bayern Munich returned to the top of the Bundesliga table. Here's a look at Canadians in Europe over the weekend.
Sabrina D'Angelo, Arsenal - Early last month, Arsenal defeated Chelsea to win the League Cup and this past week, the Gunners advanced to the Champions League semi-finals, meaning another trophy could still be in the cards for Jonas Eidevall's team. In fact, there still could be two trophies in the cards because Arsenal is still very much alive in the Women's Super League title race thanks to a victory on Sunday against Manchester City. It wasn't a must-win game per se, but a loss at Meadow Park would have likely put a 16th league title out of reach. Welland, Ont.'s Sabrina D'Angelo made her second league appearance between the wickets for the Gunners against a star-studded City side featuring Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp and Steph Houghton. Undefeated in the league since September, City, too, has title aspirations, heading into the match only three points out of top spot. It was City who got on the board first with a well-worked team move. After some fine passing to take the ball into the Arsenal half, the ball came to Kelly on the right side. The England forward sent a fine ball into the area where it was met by Bunny Shaw's diving header that D'Angelo was powerless to stop to make it 1-0 in the fifth minute. It was the Jamaica forward's 16th league goal of the season. Only minutes later, Shaw almost had a second. D'Angelo passed out from the back to Leah Williamson, who was almost immediately dispossessed by Shaw. D'Angelo was forced to dive to her right to make a fine save to deny Shaw at the near post. Just before halftime, City would have two more fine chances dealt with by D'Angelo. In the 45th, Shaw continued to buzz, teeing up for Hemp, whose hard shot was palmed over the bar by D'Angelo. Then into stoppage, Kelly unleashed a curling volley that appeared to be earmarked for inside the far post, but D'Angelo was up for it with a diving stop. The 1-0 lead would last until the 62nd when City couldn't handle Noelle Maritz's ball into the area. After Stina Blackstenius's initial effort was turned across the face of goal, the ball wasn't cleared and ricocheted around the area until Katie McCabe set up Frida Maanum to tuck home and even the score at 1-1. Arsenal took the lead in the 75th off of a short corner when McCabe cut into the area and let loose with a brilliant left-footed strike to make it 2-1 and the game would finish on that scoreline. The win brought Arsenal to 38 points, jumping over City on goal differential, and brought them within three points of leaders Manchester United. D'Angelo finished her match with four saves.
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Kadeisha Buchanan and Jessie Fleming, Chelsea - Just as Sabrina D'Angelo and Arsenal asserted their title credentials this weekend, Toronto's Kadeisha Buchanan and London, Ont.'s Jessie Fleming did the same in Walsall, England as Chelsea visited Aston Villa. The Blues entered the weekend's action in second place, a point behind Manchester United, but with a game in hand. Villa sat fifth, but well behind the top four of United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City. Coincidentally, Chelsea and Villa also played each other on the men's side with the Blues' 2-0 loss ultimately costing Graham Potter his job after only nine months at the helm of the club with his firing coming during the second half of the women's match. The match was the Blues' first since reaching the Champions League semi-finals on penalties over Lyon on Thursday. The visitors went ahead in the 22nd in controversial fashion. From a Fleming free kick, Guro Reiten lofted a cross over to the far post for Niamh Charles who headed down for Magdalena Eriksson. The Sweden international's side-footed effort was stopped by Hannah Hampton, who was taken out of the play by Eriksson's follow through, allowing for Jelena Cankovic to poke home. Hampton appealed for a foul, but none was coming as a good goal was given. Just before halftime, the Blues would go two up when Villa couldn't deal with the Chelsea press. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd forced Rachel Daly into a bad pass that was pounced upon by Reiten. After a give-and-go with Cankovic, the Norway forward's hard strike beat Hampton to make it 2-0 in the 43rd. There was no way back for the hosts and Sam Kerr put a bow on the three points for Chelsea in the 56th after having rung a shot off the crossbar in the first half when she should have scored. A Reiten free kick, was glanced forward by Charles for Kerr, who cut inside and around Anna Patten to fire home her eighth league goal of the season. Buchanan and Fleming both played a full 90 minutes in the victory. Buchanan, in her first season with the Blues following four league titles in five seasons at Lyon, finished her afternoon with 42 touches and an interception to go along with a booking. Fleming, in her third pro season with Chelsea, completed 36 of her 40 pass attempts and made three interceptions in the win. The victory kept pace with United, who were 5-1 winners over Leicester City on Saturday.
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Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich - In a match for top spot in the Bundesliga table, Thomas Tuchel's debut at the helm of Bayern Munich couldn't have come in a higher-stakes match in the latest edition of the Der Klassiker, but by midway through the first half, his former club, Borussia Dortmund, had failed their audition to wrest control of the title race from Alphonso Davies and the hosts. The visitors' bright start gave way to utter disaster in the 13th. France defender Dayot Upamecano played a speculative long ball from well into his own half towards the BVB area. Gregor Kobel came off his line to meet it, but completely whiffed on his clearance and the ball rolled straight into the net. Because Kobel did make some contact, it went down as an own goal and not one for Upamecano. Only five minutes later, the hosts were two up. Off of a corner, Thomas Muller got over two markers to head home past a diving Kobel to make it 2-0 in the 18th. Already shell-shocked, Muller would complete his brace just five minutes after that. Leroy Sane's shot from distance was dealt with by Kobel, but Muller beat two defenders to the rebound to poke home and it was 3-0 in the 23rd. Kingsley Coman made it 4-0 in the 50th and it could have been even worse for BVB because Serge Gnabry and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had goals ruled off for offside. Dortmund got late goals from an Emre Can penalty and Donyell Malen, but the 4-2 scoreline was highly flattering for the visitors, who had been undefeated in 10 matches since the beginning of 2023. Calgary's Davies played 78 minutes before coming off for Portugal left-back Joao Cancelo, who is on loan from Manchester City. Davies finished his afternoon 75 touches, four tackles, an interception and a shot on goal. The win brought Bayern, who had fired Julian Nagelsmann during the international break, back atop the table, two points clear of Dortmund. They return to action on Tuesday with the first leg of their DFB-Pokal quarterfinals tie with Freiburg before the return leg on the weekend.