The 2023-24 Women’s Champions League group stage is over and eight teams are through to the quarterfinals.
Barcelona were already through from Group A and had a thrilling 4-4 draw with second-placed Benfica, while Eintracht Frankfurt thrashed Rosengård 5-0.
Eight-time winners Lyon were also through in Group B and rounded things off with 2-2 draw against Slavia Prague, with fellow qualifiers SK Brann finishing with a 2-1 win against St. Pölten.
Group C was where the real excitement lay, as Paris Saint-Germain took top spot with a late own goal against Bayern Munich to salvage a 2-2 draw and knock out the Germans, while Ajax bagged second place with a late 2-1 win over Roma.
Chelsea had already sealed first in Group D, but travelled to Paris FC to thrash them 4-0, and Swedish surprise package BK Häcken sealed the other qualification spot with an impressive 1-0 win against Real Madrid.
We asked our writers Sophie Lawson, Sam Marsden and Connor O’Halloran to answer some of our burning questions.
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Final group-stage standings:
Group A: 1. Barcelona, 2. Benfica, 3. Eintracht Frankfurt, 4. Rosengård
Group B: 1. Lyon, 2. SK Brann, 3. Slavia Prague, 4. St. Pölten
Group C: 1. Paris Saint-Germain, 2. Ajax, 3. Bayern Munich, 4. Roma
Group D: 1. Chelsea, 2. BK Häcken, 3. Paris FC, 4. Real Madrid
*The knockout draw will be made on Feb. 6 — the four group winners are seeded and drawn against the four group runners-up, but teams can’t meet a team from their previous group.
1. What stood out for you on the final matchday?
O’Halloran: A lesson: drama often arrives via the unexpected. All eyes were on Group C heading into this final round, where all four teams still had a hope of going through, and the action toward the end was astounding. But it was two own goals that reshaped final picture of the group. Ajax went ahead on 87 minutes through a Zara Kramzar own goal, and PSG levelled their game soon after when Bayern’s Georgia Stanway was caught flat-footed and saw a shot deflect off her leg and into the goal, sinking her side’s knockout stage hopes. No one expected that.
An honorable mention too for Benfica, who were dealt a 5-0 away defeat to Barcelona in their first fixture of this group stage but ended it with a gutsy 4-4 draw against the Spanish giants and a place in the next round.
Lawson: The glorious unpredictability of football. Tuesday was all about those last few spots being claimed and the absolute pandemonium in Group C was a real head-spinner. First Roma were going through, then Bayern, then finally Ajax; the late own goals that sealed the fates of Roma and Bayern will leave bitter tastes.
That group was the one that left everyone guessing right until the last on Tuesday, but few could have foreseen the goal-fest incoming the following night. With 23 successive wins, not to mention an entirely one-sided Champions League history against Benfica, no one was expecting Barcelona to need a last-gasp equaliser in an eight-goal thriller in Group A. Likewise, given their disappointment in the competition this season, few could have foreseen Slavia’s Group B draw in Lyon.
Marsden: As well detailed above, the drama in Group C did not disappoint. Bayern and Ajax, the bottom two heading into the week, both led at one stage, only for PSG and Ajax to fight back. PSG were heading out until that 88th minute own goal, which would have been a major shock. Bayern going out is also a surprise.
But I wanted to focus on Barça and Lyon. It was probably just them both slightly taking their foot off the gas — while Barça were without any central defenders and had their third-choice goalkeeper playing — after winning their groups, but they both unexpectedly dropped points.
Barça conceded four times in an incredible 4-4 draw with Benfica, with Lucy Bronze scoring an own goal and then a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser in Lisbon to save the Blaugrana‘s unbeaten record. Benfica will take huge confidence from that result in the next stage. Lyon, meanwhile, drew 2-2 against already eliminated Slavia Prague, having already been held by Brann. It is probably nothing, but it will give the other six teams hope that these two behemoths do have some weak points after all.
2. What is the round-of-16 tie you most want to see?
Lawson: This is usually where/when the Champions League falls into the predictable; last season, all four group winners made it through to the semifinals. There is sense for the group winners to be rewarded with ties against runners-up, but it can so often mean the end of the road for the underdog. This season, it’s clear it’s going to take another pair of Herculean performances for those second-placed teams regardless of who they draw, and this is where pressure and inexperience begins to tell.
Based on what they’ve shown so far this season, the two ties that would have the most chance of an upset would be Lyon vs. Ajax and PSG vs. Häcken. Lyon, despite their dominance in their games, haven’t always looked at their sharpest and Ajax’s high-risk/reward style might throw up a surprise, especially in their home leg. Likewise, PSG haven’t had the best season by their own standards, and although they’ve improved over the last few months, Häcken could frustrate them.
Marsden: The gulf between the group winners and the runners-up feels pretty big. Looking at the runners-up, who is most capable of an upset? Perhaps Ajax, having already knocked out Bayern and Roma. PSG seem the most vulnerable of the group winners, but Ajax can’t draw them as they were both in the same group. Following that process leads me to Ajax vs. Chelsea as the tie which could possibly provide a surprise. Alternatively, Häcken and Benfica will probably fancy a shot at PSG. I do think all the group winners will get through, though. But Barça, Lyon, PSG and Chelsea should provide us with some mouth-watering semifinals.
O’Halloran: There isn’t a clear headline-grabbing matchup, with a real difference in quality between the group winners and runners-up, so let’s reverse-engineer this process. If that gulf in class produces a surprise result, what would be the biggest upset be? Häcken shocked their way to a runners-up finish in Group D, so maybe they could continue that storyline and upset Lyon or Barcelona?
3. Who is your group stage MVP and why?
Marsden: I wanted to honour some of the surprise packages, notably Häcken and Ajax, but let’s be honest, Caroline Graham Hansen has been head and shoulders above everyone else in the women’s game this season — and not just in the Champions League. Perhaps she is exacting some sort of revenge for bizarrely being forgotten every time the individual awards come around. She scored two and made another against Benfica to make it nine goal contributions in the group stage. That goes with the 12 goals and 10 assists she already has in Liga F. It’s been a truly remarkable campaign for the Norway winger so far.
O’Halloran: With four goals and a tournament-leading five assists, Graham Hansen may well deserve this crown. She netted twice against Benfica on Wednesday, but there is no recency bias here. Earlier in the competition, her strike against Frankfurt from the edge of the box was superb and her outstanding ball control and attacking instincts sum up so much of what Barcelona do well. She is an X-factor for a side that has very real hopes of defending their European title.
Lawson: Since the others have gone all-in on Graham Hansen, I’ll go rogue and give an MVP for each of the other groups.
In Group B, 18-year-old Signe Gaupset has been a difference-maker for Brann in their maiden Champions League campaign. She has consistently impressed in a more attacking role and was name Player of the Match three times. Group C MVP is Ajax’s Lily Yohannes. Still just 16, Yohannes displays a real calm maturity on the ball has routinely been at the centre of the action of Ajax as they’ve delighted and surprised over the group stage. I’ll also give a special mention for Romée Leuchter, who has shown flashes of brilliance for the Dutch side
In Group D, a far cry from the teenage starlets who’ve used the group stage to make a name for themselves, is 38-year-old midfielder/defender Aivi Luik. Whilst Häcken have made a splash in the group and Rosa Kafaji has rightly received plaudits for her attacking input, the Swedish side have relied in their defence. Save for a 3-1 loss to Chelsea, they allowed just two goals across their other five games (the joint-lowest GA shared with Barcelona, Lyon and Chelsea.) And for her part in shielding Jennifer Falk‘s goal, the Australian stalwart has been vital.