Cardiff crushed by Twente in Champions League

Cardiff City Women won the Adran Premier title, the Adran Trophy and the Bute Energy Women’s Welsh Cup last season

Cardiff City Women suffered a 7-0 humbling by FC Twente in the Champions League first qualifying round on Wednesday.

The Welsh team are in the Champions League for a second successive season having won a domestic treble in 2023-24.

But Iain Darbyshire’s team were outclassed by the Dutch champions at Sportpark Schreurserve in Enschede.

Kayleigh van Dooren struck twice within the first 17 minutes and to Cardiff's credit that was the difference at half-time.

But Twente turned the screw in the second half, with Sophie te Brake, Ann Knol, Amanda Andradóttir and Suus Verdaasdonk all finding the back of the net.

Jaimy Ravensbergen's penalty deep in time added on at the end of the match, after Kelly Adams brought down Andradóttir, added salt to the wounds of the Adran Premier side.

Wednesday’s game was part of a mini-tournament being hosted by Twente.

Cardiff will now meet ZFK Ljuboten on Saturday in a third-place match at Sportpark Schreurserve, after the North Macedonia side suffered an even heavier defeat - losing 10-0 to Icelandic side Valur.

Valur and Twente will now face each other for a place in the second qualifying round.

Twente, who signed Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark in the summer - the stopper having a largely untroubled evening against her compatriots - have won the Dutch title three times in the last four years.

They warmed up for Cardiff’s visit by thrashing Ajax 6-1 in the Dutch Super Cup last weekend.

Cardiff lost Seren Watkins and Rhianne Oakley to West Bromwich Albion during the close season, while captain Siobhan Walsh has retired, though the Bluebirds have brought in a number of new faces.

Having reached the competition for the first time in a decade last year, Cardiff lost both their first qualifying round games, against Lithuanian hosts Gintra and Irish side Shelbourne.