Matildas Abroad Review: Siemsen scores on debut; Arsenal lift Conti Cup

Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley have lifted their first piece of silverware with Arsenal, while Remy Siemsen scored on her WSL debut for Leicester City.

Read the review of all the Matildas Abroad action below!

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England

Kicking off with the Conti Cup Final, Sam Kerr's Chelsea, who were playing in their fourth consecutive league cup finals, were beaten 3-1 by  Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord's Arsenal.

Kerr got Chelsea off to the perfect start at Selhurst Park, Guro Reiten sent in a cross which found the Australian striker at the back post who nodded it home to give the Blues a 1-0 lead early. 

Stina Blackstenius made it 1-1 in the 16th minute, Frida Maanum made a dangerous run into the box and her deflected chance at goal fell right to the unmarked striker who levelled it up.

Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley of Arsenal celebrate with the FA Women's Continental Tires League Cup trophy following the FA Women's Continental Tires League Cup Final match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on March 05, 2023 in London, England . (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley of Arsenal celebrate with the FA Women's Continental Tires League Cup trophy following the FA Women's Continental Tires League Cup Final match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on March 05, 2023 in London, England . (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The Gunners had the chance to take the lead for the first time in the game as Katie McCabe was brought down in the box by Sophie Ingle. Skipper Kim Little stepped up to take it and sent the keeper the wrong way to make it 2-1.

Arsenal took a two-goal lead going into the break after an own goal to Niamh Charles in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Catley sending in a pinpoint corner that forced an own goal from the Blues' defender. 

Despite some chances in the second half for both teams, neither side was able to find the back of the net in the second stanza with Arsenal running out 3-1 winners and ending their four-year trophy drought. 

Moving over to the WSL, Remy Siemsen scored on her WSL debut for Leicester City, scoring the only goal as the Foxes were defeated 5-1 by Manchester United.

A hat-trick for Alessia Russo and goals to Leah Galton and Lucía García sealed the win for United as they temporarily moved to the top of the WSL ladder. 

Remy Siemsen celebrates scoring Leicester Citys first goal during the The FA Women s Super League match at Leigh Sports Village, Leigh. Picture credit should read: Gary Oakley / Sportimage
Remy Siemsen celebrates scoring Leicester City's first goal during the FA Women's Super League match at Leigh Sports Village, Leigh. (Photo: Gary Oakley / Sportimage)

Siemsen scored her first goal for her new side in the second half, marking her debut with a goal. Courtney Nevin played the whole game for the away side. 

Meanwhile, Emily Gielnik's Aston Villa defeated Clare Wheeler's Everton 2-0 to leapfrog them on the table. An early goal to Kenza Dali and an own goal in the second half gave the visitors all three points over the Toffees.

Wheeler started and came off in the 76th minute, while Gielnik made an appearance off the bench in the 93rd minute. 

Back in Manchester, Mary Fowler, Hayley Raso and Alanna Kennedy's Manchester City defeated Kyah Simon's Tottenham Hotspur 3-1. 

A hat-trick for Khadija Shaw helped City to a 3-1 win, moving to second on the ladder. Fowler came off the bench in the 89th minute to replace Shaw, while Raso and Kennedy didn't appear in the matchday squad. 

Lastly, Mackenzie Arnold's West Ham United went down 2-1 to 11th-place Reading FC.

Reading opened the scoring through Charlie Wellings in the second half, before the Hammers found the equaliser just 10 minutes later through Vivane Asseyi.

Rachel Rowe scored the matchwinner for the Royals, helping Reading to just their third win of the season. 

France

Moving over to France, Ellie Carpenter's Lyon booked their spot in the Coupe de France féminine semi-final after beating Reims on penalties. 


Dzsenifer Marozsán opened the scoring for Lyon just after the half-hour mark to send the away side in 1-0 up. Rachel Corboz netted the equaliser for Remins after the interval, before Sara Däbritz added her name to the scoresheet for Lyon.

Reims found the equaliser once again to send the game into penalties, with Lyon winning 8-7 and Carpenter able to finish from the spot. 

Sweden

Our last stop takes us to Sweden, with the Swedish Women's Cup group stage continuing. 

Teagan Micah's FC Rosengård collected their first win of the group stage with a 4-0 victory over Alingsås. 
Kyra Cooney-Cross' Hammarby recorded a 4-0 win over Uppsala to keep their spot at the top of Group C. 
Clare Polkinghorne and Charli Grant's Vittsjö GIK beat KIF Örebro DFF 1-0 
Aivi Luik's BK Häcken defeated Växjö DFF 4-0.