Le tissier Penalty Secures Historic Champions League Win for Manchester United
Manchester, England – September 20, 2023 – Maya Le Tissier’s first-half penalty propelled Manchester United to a 1-0 victory over Valerenga in their highly anticipated debut in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday. The win marks a notable milestone for the club, representing years of effort to reach Europe’s premier competition.
Le Tissier converted from the spot in the 31st minute after a handball by Valerenga’s Arna Eiriksdottir. while United dominated possession and created numerous opportunities, the single goal proved sufficient to secure the three points.
The match saw early chances for United, with Elisabeth Terland heading narrowly wide within the first minute. Hinata Miyazawa and Melvine Malard both tested Valerenga goalkeeper Tove enblom, who proved a resilient opponent, later denying Jessica Park’s close-range effort just 25 seconds into the second half with a brilliant save. Julia Zigiotti Olme added one further shot on target for United, but Phallon Tullis-Joyce remained largely untroubled in the home goal.
“It was a special night for all of us to play in our first proper Champions League game,” Le Tissier told Disney+ after the match. “Incredible. This is where you want to be, playing in the Champions League. It meant the world to us.” She acknowledged the long journey to reach this stage, stating, “It’s been a long, well my four years. For Tooney, she’s been here like ten years or something. we’ve worked hard to get here, we deserve to be here so to get the first win is something we wanted to do and so to do it tonight we’re very happy.”
United’s victory makes them the only Women’s Super League team to begin their Champions League campaign with a win, following Chelsea’s draw with Twente and Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Lyon. However, a nervy finish was required as Valerenga substitute Elise Thorsnes fired just wide late in the game.
Despite the cozy possession statistics – united registered an expected goals (xG) total of 1.85 from 16 shots, with seven on target, compared to Valerenga’s 0.28 from three attempts – Le Tissier acknowledged areas for improvement. “Sometimes, when you play against a low block it is the hardest thing to break them down. You get frustrated and try to force balls through,” she said. “I thought we controlled it realy well in the first half, in the second half it was a bit more open, and we had to face a lot more transitions. That is something we definitely need to look at, that can’t happen again, made it a nervy last five.”
Le Tissier also highlighted the value of the competition itself, adding, “The best thing about this competition is that you face different opposition that you’re not used to, they pose different threats, and you get different opportunities to learn from.”
Manchester United will continue their Champions League journey on October 16 with an away fixture against Atletico Madrid, who secured a dominant 6-0 win over St. Polten in their own Group D opener.
