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Competitions March 23, 2021

Canadians to feature in all UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarter-finals for first time

In all, six Canadians will be kicking off their 2020-21 UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals on 24 March

For the first time ever, Canadians will feature in all four Quarter-final series of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence, Jordyn Huitema, Janine Beckie, Jessie Fleming, and Stephanie Labbé will be playing in the 2020-21 European Quarter-finals after having advanced through the Round of 16.

In all, six Canadians will be kicking off their 2020-21 UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals on 24 March with five different European teams: Buchanan with Olympique Lyonnais; Huitema and Lawrence with Paris Saint-Germain FC; Beckie with Manchester City FC; Fleming with Chelsea FC; and Labbé with FC Rosengård.

Canada Soccer’s 2020 Canadian Player of Year Kadeisha Buchanan and Olympique Lyonnais will be defending their UEFA Champions League title when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Quarter-finals on 24 March. Olympique Lyonnais won their two Round of 16 matches against Brøndby (5-1 on aggregate). Buchanan played 90 minutes in both matches.

Ashley Lawrence, Jordyn Huitema and Paris Saint-Germain clinched their Quarter-finals ticket by winning their home match 5:0 against Sparta Praha. Ashley Lawrence scored the fourth goal of the match at the 64th minute, her first ever goal in a UEFA Women’s Champions League match.

Stephanie Labbé featured in both legs of FC Rosengård against Sankt Pölten (4-2 on aggregate), earning the clean sheet in the second match. Labbé and FC Rosengård will face Bayern München in the Quarter-finals.

Both Janine Beckie and Jessie Fleming featured as substitutes in one match of their respective Round of 16 series. Beckie and Manchester City FC will face Barcelona in the Quarter-finals, while Jessie Fleming and Chelsea FC will face Wolfsburg.

While Buchanan has won four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles with Olympique Lyonnais, Lawrence is the only other Canadian to reach the Final back in 2016-17 (against Lyon). Lawrence also reached the Semifinals in 2019-20 while Sophie Schmidt and FFC Frankfurt reached the Semifinals in 2015-16.