December 10, 2025 - 7:39 AM
Ewa Pajor put Barcelona on course for a 3-1 win against Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday and moved within sight of Sam Kerr's scoring record.
Pajor’s opening goal in the 29th minute at Estadi Johan Cruyff was her 15th in 16 appearances in the group or league phase of European club soccer's top competition. According to UEFA, only Chelsea striker Kerr has more at this stage of the Champions League, with 16 goals.
Barcelona tops the league phase with one game to go and was already guaranteed a place in the playoffs at least.
Canadian forward Chandra Davidson, of Hamilton, equalized for Benfica just after halftime, but two goals in the space of four minutes effectively sealed the win for Barcelona.
Christy Ucheibe scored an own goal in the 54th and that was followed by another from Alexia Putellas.
Twelve teams advance from the league phase, with the top four qualifying directly for the quarterfinals. The other eight teams advance to the playoffs.
Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester United, Lyon, Real Madrid, and Wolfsburg have also qualified for the quarterfinals or playoffs.
A penalty in the 81st by Lorena Azzaro sealed a 1-0 win for Paris FC at Valerenga, which had to play the second half with 10 players after Karina Saevik was sent off.
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