21 December 2023 , 10:00
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Paris FC will be eyeing even more European upsets after putting Real Madrid to the sword on Wednesday night.
The French side, who sit second in Division 1 Féminine behind reigning champions Lyon, have made themselves known in Europe this season, particularly against some of the biggest sides in the Champions League.
After dumping last season's semi-finalists Arsenal out of the first round of qualifying on penalties earlier this year, Paris FC upped the ante has they got the better of last year's finalists Woflsburg in the qualifying second round. They defeated the German behemoths 2-0 on the road to win 5-3 on aggregate.
And if the exploits weren't heady enough, Sandrine Soubeyrand's side added another big name in Real Madrid to their running list of conquests.
On Wednesday night, Paris FC veteran Gaëtane Thiney converted from the spot with just over 10 minutes remaining to give the visitors a 1-0 group stage victory in Madrid.
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The win marked Paris FC's second over Real Madrid in the group stages having recorded a 2-1 victory at home in the week prior, with Thiney and Julie Dufour scoring in the opening 10 minutes.
Wednesday evening's victory lifts Paris FC to third in Group D just two points off leaders Chelsea with two matches remaining. The Blues are the only remaining English side in the competition and are in good position to qualify for the next round following their 3-1 victory over Hacken.
Meanwhile Real Madrid are left with just one point from four group stage matches, meaning the Spanish giants will not reach the knockout stages for a second successive season.
This season's Champions League campaign has already seen a slew of high-profile teams crash out early, with Real joining Arsenal, Wolfsburg, Manchester United and Juventus.
Gaetane Thiney celebrates scoring her penalty against Real Madrid (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)On the defeat, Madrid manager Alberto Toril said: "I think either team could have won it and in the end we leave a bit sad because it's an unnecessary penalty. I think we could have avoided that, but it is what it is. We have to congratulate Paris, who have had a great game."
He added: "We had good moments with clear chances, especially in the first half where we could have scored, but it didn't happen. We leave sad because of the result but we tried until the end and when you try, there is not much more you can do."
Soubeyrand said: "We knew that they were playing to keep their hopes alive in the competition, they had to win. We were prepared for that. In the end it was 0-0 for most of the match but it could have ended 2-1, 3-2 and so on. I think it was a good match."
Paris FC return to action in January when they face Hacken and Chelsea, who in their final group stage matches.