Manchester City opened its UEFA Women's Champions League campaign with a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The latest UWCL result marked Man City's return to European competition after winning last season's Women's Super League title and FA Cup.
Bayern Takes Control Early Before Beth Mead Launches Man City Comeback
Facing high expectations, Man City looked sluggish early. German national team captain Giulia Gwinn broke through in the 11th minute with a clean finish. A Kerstin Casparij own-goal then doubled Bayern's lead in the 28th.
Mancheser City subsequently managed just one shot across the Champions League match's opening 44 minutes.
Then a flare thrown from the stands shifted the match. Bayern expected the referee to blow the whistle, but it posed no immediate danger, so play continued. In that confusion, Beth Mead pounced. The offseason arrival from Arsenal slotted one home to cut the deficit before halftime.
After the restart, Khadija "Bunny" Shaw had a chance to level from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute. However, Bayern keeper Ena Mahmutovic denied her. Instead, substitute Carlotta Wamser delivered the equalizer in the 86th minute with a sharp near-post strike.
"We want to show what we’re about in Europe," Mead said. "We showed that in the second half here, now we need to do it for 90 minutes."
The match offered a preview of the UWCL road ahead for the WSL champion. City remains unbeaten across all competitions this season, but Tuesday's first half made clear that European play demands more than domestic form.
Manchester City next looks to rise to the challenge against Real Madrid on Thursday at 3 PM ET, live on Paramount+.
