Fortuna Hjørring couldn't overcome their first leg deficit as a solitary strike from Lucy Bronze proved enough for Manchester City to win 1-0 and progress 2-0 on aggregate into the final four of the UEFA Women's Champions League.
In a game with plenty of chances there was little in the way of goalmouth action, and the second leg was decided in the same manner as the first; with a first-half header. Bronze was the hero for the hosts as she connected well with Mel Lawley’s whipped corner, her header plumb into the top corner beyond Maria Christensen.
Attack against attack
The team to kick off, Hjørring showed no signs of fear as they started out on the attack even after being pinged back by a home attack the visitors didn’t shy away from getting forward, Nora Heroum was a good outlet to drive the team on. The first real chance of the game fell to the Citizens ten minutes in, Carli Lloyd’s ball to Jane Ross was delivered out wide to Jill Scott who drew a big save from Christensen – the resulting corner was a forgettable one.
Another attack from the visitors saw Abbie McManus stand Caroline Rask up, her block well timed to prevent a clear shot on goal, Florentina Olar a key component in the build-up. But where Hjørring attacked in numbers and came up against the numbers of City, the Citizens were willing to go alone and Carli Lloyd’s mazy run into the box almost produced the opener but her shot dragged just wide.
City built themselves into the game more and more, Kosovare Asllani was next to come close, her misplaced header from Lucy Bronze’s smart cross another clear chance. Once they started the chances didn’t stop for the hosts, Mel Lawley’s curled effort from the far side of the box looked to be arcing in but just overspun to drift wide of Christensen’s far post.
The visitors were however undeterred and Frederikke Thørgensen went off on a run on her own, the player desperate for an inch against McManus, her eventual ball in falling to Camilla Kur. The number nine’s snap shot on target but straight at Karen Bardsley, the City number one unable to hold onto the ball before dropping on it for safe keeping.
Following the referee’s odd decision to play on with both Bronze and Kur down after a clash of heads in the box, Caroline Rask saw not one but two shots fail to break the deadlock, the first coming right back to her with Bardsley felled from the save. However even with the whole goal to aim for and no one to prevent the certain goal Rask could only fire beyond the far bottom corner, the goal – had the ball gone in – certain to have been controversial.
Break-through
Rask’s loose foul on Bronze brought about another good chance for the hosts after the game had started to go quiet, Steph Houghton’s direct free kick well held by Christensen. The deadlock finally broken a minute later at the next set piece, Lawley’s back post delivery nodded into the top corner by Bronze.
Following on from the first-half, the game remained open after the break though the hosts had firmly pushed themselves to the front foot, a flurry of chances came and went before the hour mark but as the fans had grown accustomed to, none were taken. Jane Ross’ punt from outside the box drifted over Christensen’s bar as for one of the first times of the night there wasn’t a flood of blue shirts in front of her.
Asllani’s effort in the remnants of a corner curled harmlessly wide as the hosts continued to suggest a second goal but fail to take advantage. A nippy run from Lawley saw the wily winger work space around the tired travelling defence before whipping one goalwards, Christensen behind the shot to claim. The shots from range continued at the other end as, with ten minutes left, Heroum chanced her arm from outside the box, the ball just over Bardsley’s fingertips but spinning just over. The tie all but won.
Though both still continued to create until the very end, the scoreline remained the same and City closed out the win as they progressed to the UWCL semi-finals.