Some Cups Do It Better Than Others
Frozen, French, and Frustrating: it's the goal post
The weekend was a swing and a miss. My newsletter? Late. My match-watching plans? Nonexistent—aside from AC Milan-Napoli and the chaotic first half of Roma-Inter (more on that later). I caught bits of London City Lionesses vs. Fulham (like Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah’s first half hat-trick) and Chelsea vs. Charlton in the FA Cup, but let’s just say ‘riveting’ wasn’t on the menu for these cup ties. It has still been a lovely weekend , mostly because I did not have to see Tottenham lose a single cup tie (although the men’s side was really testing me and the women’s side got away with it due to a postponed game over a frozen pitch, prolonging the inevitable suffering sigh.)
FRUSTRATION AT THE STATE OF THE GAME: There has been a cold snap in the UK over the weekend, leading to several FA cup games getting called off due to frozen pitches. That this is still happening in 2025 is very disappointing and shameful to be honest.
There were no ‘cupsets’ as the nine games that did go ahead delivered the anticipated results, with the winning teams collectively scoring 44 goals—an average of 4.9 per game—and Exeter City contributing the only goal from a losing side, something that really highlights the ‘gulf’ in women’s football, as Suzie Wrack points out in her piece for The Guardian.
A FRENCH CUPSET AND EARLY EXIT FOR LYON: The French cup was able to deliver a proper cupset however, as Stade de Reims managed to beat Olympique Lyon, knocking the 10-time winners out on penalties 10-9. Stade de Reims has never won against Lyon in the league or in the cup.
It was not as if Lyon were holding back either, they fielded many of their stars and it was thanks to a rustic defending from Stade de Reims and a few unlucky touches from Lyon to keep the score at 0-0 past full time. When it eventually came to penalties, Ada Hegerberg was the first one to miss for Lyon and the tone was set. Stade de Reims also missed, leveling the shootout and it would go through almost the full eleven, with some incredible penalties, before another player missed.
As opposed to the chat in the UK, where the current edition is missing ‘the magic of the cup’ Stade de Reims dug deep and found some of that sparkle.
RACE TO THE TOP: The Roma-Inter game was an exciting affair. Going into the game, the sides were tied on points in second and third place respectively, separated only by goal difference.
Inter broke the deadlock, only for Roma to equalise minutes later, but it was the Valentina Giacinti sending off that would prove crucial. A frustrated but reckless tackle after the fact saw her get a straight red and after that, Inter could control the match with one player more. They went ahead in the second half and did not let go of their lead. This means that Inter could create a bit of space away from Roma, at least somewhat closing the gap to Juventus who are top of the table with 38 points, 7 points clear of second-placed Inter.
Olivia Schough, one of record-breakers FC Rosengård’s best players last season, just made the move to Inter and got a baptism by fire as she was thrust into the thick of it, getting subbed on in the 81st minute.
Another Swede who made their debut for their new team at the weekend was Loreta Kullashi. She recently moved from Inter to Napoli and got the nod to start her first game for her new team against AC Milan. Leading the line for the northern Italian side was Swedish international Evelyn Ijeh who scored once and got two assists as Milan beat Napoli 6-0.
GOLDEN BOOT CONTENDER: Liga F is trudging along and Granada’s Edna Imade has been one of the most impressive players to watch so far this season.
She was named Best Player in Liga F in December and is trailing Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor as top goalscorer, getting her 10th goal yesterday in a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid. Granada is currently in seventh place, which is quite impressive considering that they only got promoted to Liga F last season, where they finished their maiden season in 14th place. This season they have grabbed wins against Madrid CFF and other important lower-half teams in the table.
COACHING CAROUSEL: A few days ago it was confirmed that former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall had found a new job at San Diego Wave, and the Swedish manager has now started opening up about his decision to leave the London club, citing the Vivianne Miedema affair (apparently he had to choose between keeping Miedema and signing Mariona Caldentey), growing discontent from the fans and the lack of a sporting director as factors. He also talked about his now non-existent relationship with Emma Hayes.
Meanwhile former SD coach Casey Stoney has allegedly landed the position as Canada’s new manager. “She’s a phenomenal coach to play under. She instills confidence in players and constantly wants to help people grow." San Diego Wave goalkeeper Kaileen Sheridan, who played under Stoney, said a few months ago in Mariam Kourabi’s interview with the Canadian goalkeeper. Tobin Heath and Christen Press sat down with Stoney, their former coach at Manchester United, back in November for a chat in November and, funnily enough, the first story they bring up of their experience playing in England is one of battling snowy, cold conditions and unploughed pitches.
Meanwhile current Arsenal interim manager Renée Slegers is thriving in her role, having 10 wins from 11 matches on her record and being named manager of the month in December. She is said to be one of the final candidates interviewed for the permanent head coach role, as Arsenal want to lock in a long-term solution, with nay-sayers pointing to her lack of experience but honestly, she’s made a hell of a case for herself so why not?