FootyChatter.com

Jess Park joined Manchester United from Manchester City this summer At a glance Jess Park's curling first-half strike gives Manchester United win Amalie Vangsgaard comes close for Juventus Both sides qualify for a two-legged play-off to reach the quarter-finals Manchester United secured a seeded spot in the draw for the Women's Champions League knockout phase play-offs with victory over Juventus. England international Jess Park scored the game's only goal, curling the ball into the far corner early in the first half at Allianz Arena in Turin. Marc Skinner's side, playing in the league phase for the first time, completed it with four wins from six matches. They can be pleased with that achievement - rounded off with a hard-earned victory in Italy against an in-form Juventus side. A strong first half put United in control and they were unfortunate not to extend their lead with efforts from Park and Melvine Malard deflected wide or saved. Juventus tried to capitalise on United's lack of squad depth in the second half as the visitors tired - but the best opportunity came via Amalie Vangsgaard early on. Striker Terland was also left wondering why she had not been awarded a penalty when she was brought down by Juventus captain Cecilia Salvai late on. Both sides miss out on automatic qualification for the quarter-finals, achieved by the top four of the 18 teams competing, but will go through to the two-legged play-off round. The draw takes place on Thursday at 12: 00 GMT with United set to face either OH Leuven or Atletico Madrid. The play-offs are on 11-12 February and 18-19 February. Having already secured a place in the top 12, United's aim was to break into the top four or ensure they had a seeded draw for the two-legged play-offs, which would give them a home tie first. They had disappointed against eight-time champions Lyon a week before, losing 3-0, and had to come from three goals down to draw 3-3 with Tottenham in the Women's Super League last Sunday. It was clear United were keen to avoid similar trouble this time around and were quick out of the blocks, winning several set-pieces before Park's excellent strike bent into the top right corner. Skinner's side played with the intensity necessary against Juventus, who had started the evening in third place in the table. At the heart of it was England international Park – a summer signing from Manchester City with prior Champions League experience – and she was a constant threat for Juventus' backline. She had several shots that were deflected wide and a breakaway which she couldn't take advantage of in the first half, but played her role well before coming off in the 72nd minute. Dominique Janssen was also a solid replacement at right-back for the injured Jayde Riviere and was not afraid to push up when United were on the attack. Overall, it was a pleasing display to end a busy period for Skinner, who has had to rotate his small squad, to which he hopes to add depth in January's transfer window. United have achieved their ambitions of reaching the next phase in their debut season of the competition and in Skinner's words, anything else is "a bonus". Juventus travel to Cesena on Sunday, 21 December (13: 30 GMT) for their next match in the last 16 of the Italian Women's Cup. With the WSL already on its winter break, United also have just one more game in 2025 which is Sunday's Women's League Cup quarter-final tie against Tottenham (13: 00 GMT). After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Head here to get involved Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 17th December 2025 at 22: 07 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Massimiliano Canzi Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Marc Skinner Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Manager: Massimiliano Canzi Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Marc Skinner Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 UEFA Women's Champions League All competitions Match ends, Juventus Femminile 0, Manchester United Women 1. Second Half ends, Juventus Femminile 0, Manchester United Women 1. Attempt missed. Michela Cambiaghi (Juventus Femminile) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Attempt missed. Emma Stølen Godø (Juventus Femminile) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Estela Carbonell with a cross. Fourth official has announced 5 minutes of added time. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match because of an injury Anna Sandberg (Manchester United Women). Attempt missed. Cristiana Girelli (Juventus Femminile) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Offside, Juventus Femminile. Cristiana Girelli is caught offside. Offside, Juventus Femminile. Michela Cambiaghi is caught offside. Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United Women) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United Women). Michela Cambiaghi (Juventus Femminile) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Manchester United Women. Simi Awujo replaces Gabby George. Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United Women) is shown the yellow card. Substitution, Manchester United Women. Leah Galton replaces Melvine Malard. Attempt missed. Amalie Vangsgaard (Juventus Femminile) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Mathilde Harviken. Attempt blocked. Estela Carbonell (Juventus Femminile) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lia Wälti. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match because of an injury Gabby George (Manchester United Women). Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.