Women's Champions League: Highest-scoring group stage since new format introduced

One hundred and eighty four goals were scored in the group stage of the 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Matchday 2 was the standout fixture for goals scored, with 38 recorded. Comprehensive wins for Barcelona (9-0 vs Hammarby), Roma (6-1 vs Galatasaray), and Arsenal (4-1 vs Vålerenga), as well as Man City and St. Pölten sharing five goals in a 3-2 victory for the English side, all contributed to the high number of goals scored.

In all of the games on Matchday 2 the team who scored first in the tie went on to win, underlining the importance of getting ahead. It proved to be a key feature of the group stage with teams scoring first going on to win 69% of the time, and avoiding defeat on 94% of occasions.

Lyon and Chelsea were the only two sides to secure a 100% win record with six victories each from their group stage games. On their way to qualification for the quarter-finals, both teams registered 19 goals and contributed to their tally with a mix of goals from open play and set pieces.

Of Lyon's total, 41% came through set-pieces, with 21% of Chelsea's goals via this method. Although 70% of goals were scored from open play (and only one from a direct free-kick) in the group stage, set pieces will no doubt grow in importance as the competition progresses. With games expected to get tighter, teams who have the ability to score goals from a variety of different sources could well prove crucial.

Barcelona's opening goal in their 7-0 victory over Austrian side St. Pölten on Matchday 3 involved a 20-pass move culminating in a first-time finish from attacker Ewa Pajor (62% of goals in the group stage resulted from first-time finishes). The goal showcased the Spanish side's ability to progress the ball from their own defensive third and through the pitch with controlled possession and a high number of passes.

Building the play and creating chances in this way was a standout trend of the group stage. 26% of the 184 goals scored originated from moves of ten or more passes – with many originating inside a team’s own defensive third as they built the play from the goalkeeper. In last season’s group stage only 7% were scored from sequences of ten or more passes.

These statistics suggest teams are now more tactically and technically capable of playing through opposition defensive structures. Similarly, it shows a willingness from coaches and players to play in this way even when faced with a high press or large numbers of opposition players behind the ball.

Barcelona’s second goal in their 3-0 victory over Manchester City on Matchday 6 showed how Pere Romeu’s side were not fazed by City's defensive organisation, instead finding a way to pick through the English side using combination play in central area of the pitch.

The group stage also showed how central areas of the pitch have been used for more swift attacks requiring a smaller number of passes. In contrast to Barcelona's patient pass-orientated build-up, both Chelsea and Juventus showed the benefits of progressing centrally with more direct play.

Chelsea goalkeeper Zećira Mušović contributed to the London side’s second goal in their 6-1 victory over Twente with a clipped pass from the penalty area into Mayra Ramírez just inside the opposition half. The Colombian forward’s intelligent first-time lay-off allowed Chelsea to progress into the final third where Oriane Jean-Francois hit a low left-foot strike to re-establish their lead. The goal was scored following a total of six passes.

Similarly, Juventus showed how quick interplay and strong forward running through central areas is an effective route to goal. A four-pass sequence allowed the Italian side to open the scoring against Vålerenga on Matchday 6. The move owed much to the clever hold-up play of attacker Sofia Cantore, who dropped into her own half to receive before driving forward and delivering a cross for Valentina Bergamaschi to finish.

Wolfsburg's passage to the quarter-finals was sealed with a 6-1 win over Roma on Matchday 5. The victory included an impressive four-goal cameo from substitute Sveindís Jónsdóttir, who entered the game after 66 minutes. Firstly, the Icelandic winger scored the goal that gave the German side the two-goal cushion they needed for qualification, before adding three more strikes in the last five minutes. Jónsdóttir’s four goals equalled the record of goals scored by a player in a single group game.

Late goals proved to be a theme throughout the group stage, with most goals scored between 75-90 minutes. 49% of late goals were scored by substitutes, again emphasising the importance of tactical changes by technical staff as well as squad depth.