Wrexham enjoyed a dream debut in the UEFA Women’s Champions League as they triumphed 4-2 over Armenian side FC Pyunik at The Racecourse on Wednesday.
In winning their first qualifying round semi-final, The Red Dragons became the first Genero Adran Premier side to earn victory in Europe since 2019.
Jenny Sugarman stuck largely with the side that claimed Wrexham’s first ever top-flight title last season, with the only debut from the start handed to former Cymru U19 international Bella Reidford.
It was a frantic start to the encounter, with Pyunik taking the lead in just the ninth minute. Liz Craven’s wayward goal kick was received by Ani Karapetyan, who played in Susanna Badalyan to lob the Wrexham goalkeeper in expert fashion.
However, there was an instant response from the hosts who were back level only two minutes later. Good work down the left flank from Faye Knox saw the winger the ball for Katie Barker who provided the finish – the first goal scored by a Welsh team in Europe for five years.
Wrexham dominated possession for the remainder of the first half and were perhaps unfortunate not to be ahead at the break, but they did take the lead just five minutes into the second period.
Lili Jones capitalised on a loose pass on the left of the box and released a perfect strike that flew over Amber Lockwood in the Pyunik goal and into the net. A special moment for the lifelong Wrexham fan who grew up a stone’s throw from The Racecourse.
Things got even better for the hosts soon after the hour mark, when Jones’ shot was parried but Ava Suckley battled superbly in a goalmouth scramble to poke the ball home. Suckley is another diehard Wrexham supporter who has been with the club since their days in the Genero Adran North.
The Red Dragons could not get too comfortable however, as Pyunik pulled a goal back to make it 3-2 just two minutes later. It was another strike from distance that beat Craven, as Luiza Ghazaryan let fly from range and her effort rocketed into the top corner.
Natasha Thomas, Lydia Sallaway and Mikayla Cook all came on for their debuts soon after and it was Thomas who netted the decisive fourth goal to seal victory in the 90th minute. After being played through by Barker, the Jamaican international initially lost the ball but fought to win it back and clinically fire past Lockwood.
Wrexham could have had a fifth goal in stoppage time as Thomas crashed an effort against the bar, but it mattered not as they celebrated another historic victory at The Racecourse.
“Sometimes we don’t make it easy for ourselves, but I think everyone enjoys that bit of drama don’t they?” Jenny Sugarman smiled after the game. “Did we play our best football at times? No, but we’ve played with heart and desire. Some of the individual performances out there, like Maria Francis-Jones – what a game she’s had.
“Second half I thought we were significantly better with the ball than we were in the first half. Bella [Reidford] did a great job on debut, probably playing a little bit out of position at left wing-back, and Tash [Thomas] getting that goal is special for her on debut.
“The crowd I think enjoyed it. I think the players fed off of that, that momentum building. What an evening of football.”
Wrexham will now face Riga in the first qualifying round final on Saturday (KO TBC), again at The Racecourse, after the Latvians triumphed 4-1 over Northern Irish side Glentoran earlier on Wednesday.
