Glasgow City 0 SK Brann 4: Norwegian champions too strong as City dealt harsh Champions League lesson

Glasgow City saw their hopes of reaching the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage all-but extinguished after they were blown away by clinical Norwegian champions SK Brann at Petershill Park.

The visitors blitzed their hosts with a ruthless display and raced into an early two-goal lead in Springburn during the first-leg of the knockout round tie when Rakel Engesvik and Justine Kielland fired beyond goalkeeper Lee Gibson to put City firmly on the back foot.

Towering striker Engesvik then made it three shortly before half-time to leave the home side with a mountain to climb and despite an improved second half display, winger Marit Lund put the game beyond doubt with four minutes remaining.

Two-time quarter-finalists City must now stage a miraculous second-leg revival in Norway next Wednesday, with deflated head coach Leanne Ross acknowledging she got her tactics wrong on the night.

She told GlasgowWorld: “I’ve had a few tough nights already in this post but this is a difficult one to take. You just can’t start games like that and expect to get anything out of them. It was really disappointing, we gave ourselves a real tough task.

“The intensity and our bravery on the ball improved in the second half but you can’t go behind in games like that and let people run into your box. The team has to respond. We now need more of the second half performance over the course of the whole game next week. There was no surprise for us in how they played but we have given ourselves a mountain to climb.

“Listen, I put my hands up too. The formation was maybe the wrong decision as we looked more comfortable in the second half when we changed it, but you can’t account for individual errors. We didn’t clear set plays properly.

“At this level, chances are few and far between. It wasn’t really harsh words (at half-time), it was more a bit of honesty. I gave the players the opportunity to speak up and they realise that performance was nowhere near good enough.

“The supporters came out tonight in their numbers and we’ve really let them down. We certainly lifted our performance in the second half but it’s just hugely disappointing that we conceded a fourth goal late on.”

Things looked ominous from an early stage for City in front of a crowd of almost 900 as the classy visitors got off to a flying start when Rakel Engesvik was played in behind the defence before rounding goalkeeper Lee Gibson and rolling the ball home after just five minutes.

Brann added a quick-fire second through Justine Kielland after City struggled to clear a corner. The ball dropped to the midfielder who allowed the ball to bounce once before unleashing a swerving 20-yard volley which looped over Gibson into the net.

City had offered little in the way of an attacking threat and the tie almost looked out of reach six minutes before the interval when the lively Engesvik took advantage of more slack defending to weave through and dispatch a low effort beyond Gibson into the corner.

The home side did manage to compose themselves after the break and had a better grip on the match, but not even the introduction of vastly experienced central midfielder Hayley Lauder and a switch to a 3-5-2 formation from 4-3-3 could help City find a meaningful route back into the contest.

A flurry of corners lifted the home crowds spirits with Charlotte Wardlaw seeing a deflected strike drop just wide of the far post before Everton loanee Kenzie Weir headed straight at visiting keeper Aurora Mikalsen after finding herself unmarked in the penalty area.

It was the Norwegians, though, who always looked more menacing and Marit Bratberg Lund’s crisp late drive into the bottom corner from the right-hand side of the box after yet another weak headed clearance dealt City a near-certain fatal blow.

That goal effectively killed off the tie on a sobering night for the SWPL outfit and left City needing a miracle in Bergen during the return leg next week.

Delighted visiting boss Martin Peter Ho told BBC Alba: “The first half I thought we were very good with the intensity we played at with the ball. Second half we were well off where we wanted to be.

“Credit to Leanne (Ross) for changing their system and opening us up a bit but after 10 or 15 minutes we got to grips with that and then the second half was probably just transitional for both teams. It’s half time, the way we look (at the tie). If we can score four in this one, they can score four in the next leg.”

Glasgow City (4-3-3): Alexander, Muir, Fulton, Lovera, Motlhalo, Davidson, Moore, Weir, Wardlaw, Forrest (Lauder; 45), Oskarsson (Foley; 81)

Unused: Clachers (GK), Warrington, Larkin, Whelan, Gambone, Kozak, Sullivan, Colvill

SK Brann (4-4-2): Mikalsen, Stenevik, Engesvik (Eide Lie; 73), Haugland (Svendheim; 88), Elkeland, Nygard (Brochmann; 58), Ostenstad, Lund, Crummer (Renmark; 88), Kielland, Tynnila

Unused: Stavenes (GK), Aune.

Referee: Monika Mularczyk (POL)

Attendance: 865

GlasgowWorld Man of the Match: Rakel Engesvik (SK Brann)