Matildas star Kyra Cooney-Cross has started her Women’s Champions League campaign on fire.
The Australian was named player of the match as Arsenal kicked off their European campaign with a dramatic victory.
Manchester City fought from two goals down to grab a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich on Tuesday to start their Women’s Champions League season, while Mariona Caldentey was the hero as Arsenal left it late in their opener.
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Bayern raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to Giulia Gwinn’s early strike and a Kerstin Casparij own goal inside the first 30 minutes.
Beth Mead halved the deficit for the Women’s Super League champions on the stroke of half-time.
City looked set to begin the league phase with a loss, as Khadija Shaw was denied from the spot by Bayern goalkeeper Ena Mahmutovic in the second period.
But German forward Carlotta Wamser popped up with four minutes remaining to ensure the spoils were shared in Bavaria.
“It was a game of two halves, I think. (The first half) was probably not good enough for our standards,” Mead told UEFA.
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“But again we showed what the team is about, showed our character.”
Arsenal, the 2025 Champions League winners, made a faltering start to their bid to recover the continent’s premier club title.
Renee Slegers’s side needed an injury-time penalty from Spain international Caldentey to nab a 1-0 win at home to Danes HB Koge.
The Gunners looked certain to be heading for a goalless stalemate until new signing Selina Cerci went down in the box under Yukina Sakabe’s 92nd-minute challenge.
Matildas stars Cooney-Cross, Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord all started for the Gunners.
Cooney-Cross was dominant throughout the game, recording 103 touches and completing 74 of her 87 passes across 90 minutes.
She was also named player of the match for her standout performance.
Speaking post-game, Catley was happy with her side’s performance.
“It was a pretty crazy last five minutes but that’s football,” said Catley.
“They defended great, we tried so many avenues to goal.
“Credit to the girls, they kept trying and Mariona was very calm in that moment.”
A Sakina Karchaoui penalty inside the final 20 minutes ensured Paris Saint-Germain left the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano with a 1-1 draw after Felicia Schroeder’s second-minute opener for Real Madrid.
Inter Milan got the better of Swedish side Hacken 1-0 — Haley Bugeja’s fifth-minute goal was enough to give the home side three points.
A brace either side of half-time by Marit Bratberg Lund gave Benfica a 2-1 win at Juventus, despite the hosts scoring late through Alba Redondo.
Defending champions Barcelona begin Champions League life in the post-Alexia Putellas era on Wednesday when they host Paris FC.