Mixed night for Matildas stars in Champions League

Alanna Kennedy has endured another night of torment and Mary Fowler cut a largely peripheral figure as Barcelona handed the Matildas' English hopefuls Manchester City a lesson with their 3-0 triumph in the Women's Champions League.

It was a better Wednesday night for Arsenal's Aussie trio of Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross.

Mariona Caldentey ensured the Gunners enter the quarter-finals as Group C winners after dramatically firing in a late penalty in their 3-2 home victory over Bayern Munich.

Kennedy, who had been hooked at halftime during City's home loss at Everton in the Women's Super League three days earlier, again looked at sea at the back as City's defence got run ragged by the defending European champions, who scored through Claudia Pina and then their two Ballon d'Or winners, Aitor Bonmati and Alexia Putellas in Spain.

It could have been much worse for the WSL challengers, as Barcelona rained in 30 shots to three in a hugely one-sided contest at the Olympic Stadium which made City's win in the reverse fixture back in Manchester at the start of October feel an awfully long time ago.

City had to avoid a two-goal defeat to finish top of Group D ahead of the champs but they never looked likely to keep the hosts at bay, with playmaker Bonmati running the show and winning the player of the match award the night after picking up her latest award as the 'FIFA Best' women's player.

City's defence had looked like an accident waiting to happen as Kennedy three times gave the ball away before her failure to clear her ranks a fourth time gifted the ball straight to Pina, who put Barca ahead just before the break.

City were then guilty of gifting the ball away again in the 57th minute, their sluggish rearguard again being picked off by Bonmati, who raced through and nutmegged busy keeper Khiara Keating with a low left-foot finish.

Putellas, who had won the previous two Women's Ballons d'Or prizes before Bonmati lifted two in a row, then made it 3-0 with a shot from outside the box in the 67th past the unsighted Keating.

Both sides finished on 15 points in their group, but Barca grabbed top spot with a superior goal difference.

In London, the Gunners took a seventh-minute lead under a downpour at Meadow Park through Glodis Perla Viggosdottir's own goal, from a Cooney-Cross corner, before Magdalena Eriksson drew the sides level before the break.

Bayern would have gone through as group winners with a draw and former Chelsea captain netted another in the second half, but the in-form Alessia Russo drew the sides back level a minute later.

Caldentey stepped up to the spot after Bayern were penalised for handball and coolly converted in the 86th minute to extend Arsenal's unbeaten run to 11 matches across all competitions.

With PA.