Mary Earps Faces Early Exit as PSG Falls to Juventus

Mary Earps, the England goalkeeper and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) faced a stunning exit from the Women’s Champions League as they lost 5-2 on aggregate to Juventus in the qualifying stages. After falling 3-1 in the first leg in Turin, PSG hoped to overturn the deficit in the second leg, played at home on Thursday. However, Juventus quickly dampened those hopes.

Sofia Cantore scored from close range just two minutes into the match, capitalizing on a goalmouth scramble. Though PSG found an equalizer through Romee Leuchter, who converted a penalty to bring the score to 1-1, Juventus regained control. Barbara Bonansea scored in the 72nd minute heading the ball past Earps from a corner which effectively sealed the tie for Juventus.

Mary Earps joined PSG from Manchester United this summer, motivated by a desire to “win more silverware.” This early elimination is particularly surprising given PSG’s strong track record as they have reached at least the quarter-finals in the Women’s Champions League for the past five seasons. The victory marked a significant achievement for Juventus, who have now qualified for the group stages for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

This comes after their disappointing exit against Eintracht Frankfurt last year. PSG’s unexpected exit highlights the unpredictable nature of the tournament and raises questions about their future ambitions after this setback. As the team reflects on this disappointing outcome, they will need to regroup and reassess their strategy moving forward in domestic and European competitions.