Alanna Kennedy supplied an assist in Manchester City’s derby win against Manchester United which sent them level with defending champions Chelsea at the top of the Women’s Super League while her Australia teammate Ellie Carpenter helped Lyon get a 2-1 victory against Benfica in the quarter-final first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Japanese duo Saki Kumagai and Moeka Minami started for AS Roma as they took another step towards successfully defending their league title in Italy while Afghanistan’s Farkhunda Muhtaj featured in Fortuna Sittard’s big win in the Netherlands, so join the-AFC.com as we find out how the Asian stars performed in Europe over the past week.

Sweden: Japanese duo on target in cup win

Nadeshiko midfielder Momoko Tanikawa scored in the 35th minute while her compatriot Mai Kadowaki bagged a second-half double as FC Rosengard posted a resounding 13-0 win against IFK Goteborg in their final group outing on Saturday to progress to the knockout stages of the women’s Swedish Cup.

Having scored against Linkoping and Vittsjo earlier in the group stage, 18-year-old Tanikawa now has three goals in as many matches for Rosengard following her loan move from Bayern Munich earlier this year.

Matildas defender Aivi Luik’s BK Hacken, who suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, reached the next stage of the cup by beating Kristianstads 7-2 on Sunday to win Group A.

England: Kennedy assists as City heat up title race

Alanna Kennedy contributed an assist while Mary Fowler and Yui Hasegawa were among the starters as Manchester City defeated rivals Manchester United 3-1 on Saturday to stay level with defending champions Chelsea at the top of the Women’s Super League standings with only five games left of the season.

Arsenal, who beat Aston Villa by the same score with Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Steph Catley coming on as substitutes, are six points behind the top two.

Yuka Momiki and Saori Takarada bagged assists for Leicester City, but it was Li Mengwen and Lee Geum-min who came out on top as Brighton & Hove Albion posted a 3-2 win against the Foxes on Sunday which helped them leapfrog their opponents into eighth place.

France: Carpenter’s Lyon win in Europe

Ellie Carpenter played the full game for Lyon as the eight-time champions edged Benfica 2-1 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday. The Australian full-back also played the first half of her side’s 7-0 win against Lille on Saturday which kept them seven points clear at the top in the French women’s league.

China PR international Wu Chengshu started for Dijon as they recorded a 2-0 victory against Guingamp for whom Nepal’s Sabitra Bhandari played the full 90 minutes.

Italy: Kumagai, Minami inch towards title

Japanese stars Saki Kumagai and Moeka Minami started for AS Roma as they moved another step closer to defending their Italian women’s league title by defeating Sassuolo 3-0 on Saturday in their first match in the Championship playoff phase.

Minami, who moved to Italy from Urawa Red Diamonds in 2022, was part of the Roma squad that won their first-ever Serie A Femminile title last season while 33-year-old Kumagai is also aiming for a second straight league title in Europe after winning the German league with her previous club Bayern Munich.

Spain: Edwards seals Amorebieta victory

Australian midfielder Ryan Edwards came off the bench to score in the 91st minute and seal Amorebieta’s 3-1 win against Sporting Gijon which helped them climb up from the bottom position in the Segunda Division on Sunday. Japan’s Kento Hashimoto started Huseca’s 3-0 win against Burgos in the Spanish second tier.

In Liga F, Lee Young-ju came off the bench in Madrid CFF’s 2-1 win against Sporting Huelva, for whom Miku Ito featured, while Honoka Yonei also came off the bench to help Eibar rescue a last-gasp 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid. And China PR’s Tang Jiali started for Levante Las Planas as they played out a 1-1 draw against Villarreal.

Netherlands: Muhtaj’s Fortuna win big

Afghanistan’s Farkhunda Muhtaj came on as a substitute and played half an hour of Fortuna Sittard’s resounding 8-0 win against Chinatsu Kira’s SC Telstar in the women’s top flight in the Netherlands on Friday. Fortuna sit fourth in the table behind leaders Twente, defending champions Ajax and PSV.

Kira’s Japanese compatriot Toko Koga played 90 minutes as eighth-placed Feyenoord held PSV to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.