Paris Saint‑Germain women finally broke a three‑year European winless streak, blasting Leuven 5‑0 on Thursday in the Champions League second‑matchday.
The club’s last Champions League victory came in March 2024, a quarter‑final win over Häcken. Since then, early exits have piled up: Juventus knocked them out in the preliminary round two years ago and last season they finished second‑last in the group with two draws and four defeats. This clean sweep lifts them to provisional third place on goal difference, four points behind Lyon and six behind title‑holders Barcelona.
Defender Thiniba Samoura told reporters on Wednesday, “Our goal this season is to improve on last year. We earned a point against Real Madrid, now we want all three.” Paris has already amassed more points in two games than they did all of last season’s group stage, after a 1‑1 draw with Real Madrid last week.
Will PSG continue this momentum against Europe’s elite, or will the tougher matches expose lingering gaps?
Cheered on by about a hundred ultras at PSG’s Poissy campus, the Parisians dominated the Belgian side, who were held to a 0‑0 draw last season. Even without stars Olga Carmona, Jackie Groenen and Griedge Mbock, Paris created chances effortlessly. Naomie Feller, not selected for the next French squad, netted a double (51’, 63’) and set up Sakina Karchaoui (69’) and Rasheedat Ajibade (9’). In my view, PSG’s resurgence could reshape the group race.
The Nigerian opened the scoring, marking her third goal in six matches this season – already matching her tally from 26 games last year. Served by Karchaoui, Vitoria Yaya capped the offensive showcase in the 84th minute.
Aggressive in duels and led by their captain, the Parisians hadn’t won by five goals since 2022, also in the Champions League. Securing points against Leuven is vital as upcoming fixtures include trips to Chelsea, Manchester City, and home games versus Bayern Munich and Juventus.