Glasgow City turn attention to domestic matters after Champions League exit

Glasgow City boss Leanne Ross expressed pride in her players after their Champions League campaign was ended by a 6-0 aggregate defeat to Brann.

City were bidding to reach the group stage for the first time, but a 4-0 first-leg defeat at Petershill Park last week left them with a daunting task and they slipped to a 2-0 loss in Bergen on Wednesday.

Ross, whose side sit third in the Scottish Women’s Premier League behind Celtic and Rangers, said her side would now focus on domestic action.

She said in a post-match interview: “Really proud of the team and the effort we put in. We had to make a few changes to the starting line-up tonight because of injuries and illness.

“So the players who came in really worked their socks off and to be honest I really don’t think we deserved to lose that second goal at the end there.”

Brann, who reached the group stage for the first time, effectively killed the tie before half-time through Marthine Ostenstad’s opener and they added a late second through Nora Eide Lie’s long-range effort.

“The schedule has been hugely demanding,” Ross added. “We’re really lucky we’ve got a talented, big squad, but even at that it’s pushed us to the limits.

“We’ve had to make a lot of changes tonight in terms of personnel, but the players have been great. They’ve worked really hard through the busy schedule and now we just need to go back and focus on the league.”

City were backed by a small group of travelling fans in a bumper crowd at the Brann Stadium and Ross said she and her players were grateful for their support.

She added: “It’s always great to have our supporters in the stadiums, so it was important for us to go over and acknowledge they were here and say thank you for coming.

“Even though there’s only a few of them, you can hear them and see them at the end and it’s great to have them here and we thank them for their support.”