Match Centre | ŽFK Ljuboten 2-0 Cardiff City

City were narrowly defeated by ŽFK Ljuboten in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round third place play-off.

Despite being on top for large parts of the game, two goals on the break saw the North Macedonian champions claim victory.

Reaction | Iain Darbyshire

After the full-time whistle, head coach Iain Darbyshire said: “I’m gutted with the result. We dominated for large parts of the game and the girls carried out what we wanted them to do. We created a lot of chances and put them under a lot of pressure, but things didn’t quite go our way today. We’ve come away to the Champions League and competed well against one of the best teams in Europe, then we’ve dominated the second game and on another day, we could have scored four or five goals. We can be proud of both performances and the progress that we’ve made.

“There has been a lot preparation going into this competition and a great deal of commitment from the staff, the players and everyone involved. I’m proud of everyone’s efforts and this is another experience that we’ll learn from. We aim to be back here next year and we’ll do everything we can to ensure that happens.”

Match Summary

City started brightly and on the front foot, with an early chance for striker Laura Curnock, who forced a save from the goalkeeper. In more first half opportunities, Ffion Price delivered two dangerous set-pieces, which both led to centre-back Nieve Jenkins going close to opening the scoring. 

There was a huge chance for City just before the break, with Lisa Owen driving into the box and setting up Curnock, who fired just over. Despite the Bluebirds being on top, ŽFK Ljuboten beat the offside trap on the break and took the lead with 38 minutes on the clock. 

The second half saw Darbyshire's side apply consistent pressure on the North Macedonian champions. The closest the Bluebirds came to an equaliser was a close-range header from substitute Shannon Evans, which flew inches wide of the post. With City committing bodies forward, ŽFK Ljuboten ensured victory with a second goal in the 92nd minute.

Pre-Match | Iain Darbyshire

We caught up with head coach Iain Darbyshire ahead of Saturday’s fixture, who began by reflecting on the game against FC Twente last time out.

“It was a great experience to play against a team of that level. It's fantastic learning for the coaches and for the players. There were challenges that, in many ways, we've never been faced before and that's really exciting.

“I think we've learned a lot of lessons from that game. We've seen how good we can be against that level of opposition. It's just about sustaining it for the full game, which is our objective for Saturday.”

With the fixture against FC Twente being another learning experience in Europe, the City boss is keen to apply the lessons learned.

He continued: “We can take a lot forward, the fact that we worked so hard for 70 minutes to stay in the game on Wednesday. I think tomorrow’s opponents won't be as strong as FC Twente. If we can get to those levels that we know we can play at, we need to do that for a longer duration in the game. 

“That's the plan. I think we'll have a lot more with the ball on Saturday, which is our aim. We’re looking to impose ourselves on the opposition and we're hoping to see our first win in the Champions League. 

“It's about the mental achievement. It's about removing that mental block and accepting that we can win games in the Champions League. That's definitely our goal and hopefully, we'll be able to do that on Saturday.

“It means everything, it's a massive achievement to be here, but that's never enough. You want to win. You want to compete and you want to get better every single year. We have been better this year. It's not like the scoreline on Wednesday can take away from that. 

“We're more prepared this than we were last year, so we can take that as a positive. Now this is an opportunity on Saturday where we believe we can get three points and we can get the win in the Champions League that we all crave.”

Pre-Match | Kerry Walklett

Midfielder Kerry Walklett, who gained her first experience of the Champions League on Wednesday, added: “It was a really tough game, FC Twente were unbelievable. As a squad, we learned so much and I think collectively, we all came away a little bit disappointed in kind of the final score, but as a whole, we were all really excited about the experience and I think we did ourselves really proud.

"We've seen clips of the game. We know what we're going to go up against, I think out of possession we showed how strong we can be in the 20 game. I think if we can bring that performance into Saturday, then we'll have a really good chance of winning the game.

"It would mean everything to us. I think everyone always looks at scores in these competitions, but I think to come away with something is what we're trying to do.

"We've worked so hard leading up to this and the girls have been brilliant this week on camp, applying themselves in every training session, so I think that really epitomises all our hard work leading into and during the competition."

OPPOSITION FOCUS

ŽFK Ljuboten qualified for the UEFA Women's Champions League after winning the top-flight of North Macedonian football at the end last season.

In their Semi-Final, the side were drawn to face Valur, who play in Besta deild kvenna, the top league in Iceland.

The side fell 2-0 behind after five minutes, leaving them an uphill task for the remainder of the European clash. 

Valur continued to show their quality and were clinical, with the result ending 10-0, meaning ŽFK Ljuboten will play in Saturday's Third Place Play-Off.

Reaching THE GROUND

Supporters attending on Saturday should use the following address:

Sportpark Schreurserve, Kotkampweg 44, 7531 AT, Enschede

The nearest rail station to the ground is Enschede train station, which is a 22-minute walk away.