London City Lionesses beat Manchester United in WSL season opener

The Women’s Super League (WSL) season has commenced with significant developments for London City Lionesses. In their season opener, the club secured a 2-1 victory against Manchester United at CopperJax Community Stadium. The match featured the highly anticipated debut of two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who captained the side. Goals from an own goal by Julia Zigiotti and a late strike by Daniëlle van de Donk secured the win for the Lionesses, while Simi Awujo scored a late consolation for United.

London City Lionesses, owned by Michele Kang, are positioning themselves as a major force in the league. The club recently signed a landmark front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Nike, which Kang describes as the largest women-only deal globally, potentially exceeding the value of some men’s Premier League shirt agreements. The squad has been bolstered by high-profile arrivals including Mapi León, Kadidiatou Diani, and Mary Earps.

In European competition, the Women’s Champions League draw has set challenging paths for major English clubs. Arsenal is scheduled to face Barcelona and Lyon in the league phase, while Chelsea will travel to face Lyon. Manchester City will compete against Bayern Munich. The WSL continues to see increased commercial and media interest, highlighted by Putellas’ launch of ‘Eleven TV by Alexia’ to broadcast matches to Spanish audiences.