Racing Union Falls to HJK Helsinki in Women's Champions League Qualifier

On Wednesday 5 August 2026, Racing FC Union Luxembourg began their UEFA Women's Champions League campaign with a second qualifying round match against Finland's HJK Helsinki at the Stade Achille Hammerel in Luxembourg City.

Racing needed a victory to reach the second qualifying round final, where Dutch champions PSV awaited after beating Bosnia and Herzegovina's SFK Sarajevo 3-2 in the other mini-tournament tie.

HJK made the brighter start and quickly established territorial control. In the seventeenth minute, the visitors created two consecutive chances, first from a corner and then from the resulting loose ball, but Racing goalkeeper Andrea Burtin confidently claimed both attempts.

The Finnish champions continued to apply pressure. Captain Minea Lassas headed straight at Burtin from another corner in the 21st minute before Kimberley Dos Santos cleared Kerttu Sarelius' looping effort off the goal line five minutes later after the HJK forward had lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.

Racing survived another scare in the 29th minute when captain Julie Wojdyla blocked Milja Kiviranta's effort on the goal line after the striker had rounded Burtin. Four minutes later, Burtin produced another excellent save, using her leg to deny Sarelius from close range.

The hosts finally threatened in the 40th minute when Ana Barbosa's cross from the right struck the crossbar. However, HJK broke the deadlock just two minutes later as Jenna Topra finished from close range into an unguarded net. Racing defender Marta Estevez protested that the goal should have been ruled out for offside, but play continued and the Finnish team took a 1-0 lead into the interval.

"I don't know how it looks on the pictures, but for me it was offside," Racing defender Marta Estevez told Chronicle.lu after the match, referring to HJK's opening goal.

Despite falling behind before half-time, the Luxembourg champions remained confident they could respond. "We have come back from 1-0 a lot of times last year, so we kept telling ourselves we could do it," she said. "But obviously it's hard against a professional team. We're not used to that rhythm."

Racing began the second half on the front foot, pinning HJK back inside their own half. Kimberley Dos Santos tested the visitors with a long-range effort shortly after the restart, although her shot drifted wide.

HJK gradually regained control and created several openings around the hour mark without troubling the scoreboard. The visitors continued to threaten, with substitute Isabella Ylätalo failing to convert Milja Kiviranta's low cross in the 64th minute after arriving at the far post.

Further chances followed for the Finnish team. Laura Hillberg fired narrowly over the crossbar in the 71st minute after winning possession high up the pitch, while Racing nearly found an equaliser two minutes later when Marta Estevez’s free-kick was almost turned into her own net by an HJK defender.

The visitors squandered another clear opening in the 76th minute as substitute Iiris Holmström failed to convert Reetta Suomela's precise cross at the far post.

HJK's pressure eventually paid off in the 80th minute when Milja Kiviranta raced through one-on-one with Burtin and calmly doubled the visitors' advantage. Four minutes later, substitute Iiris Holmström came close to adding a third but failed to make proper contact under pressure from a Racing defender.

Reflecting on the defeat, Marta Estevez said Racing had lacked the decisive final pass and finish. "The last pass was missing, or the final shot. We hit the crossbar once and, at 1-0, our free-kick went just millimetres wide," she said. "We were unlucky in that aspect. We're sad about the result, but next time we can do better."

On Saturday 8 August 2026, Racing will face Bosnia and Herzegovina's SFK Sarajevo in the third-place match at 13:00, before HJK Helsinki take on PSV Eindhoven at 19:00 for a place in the UEFA Women's Champions League third qualifying round.

Racing Union: Andrea Burtin (GK); Julie Wojdyla (c); Kimberley Dos Santos; Vanesa Santana; Celia Rigaud; Ana Barbosa; Edina Kocan; Caroline Corplet; Lise Michalak; Marta Estevez; Amina Boissou.                                                                                                                                                                                

HJK Helsinki: Annika Laihanen (GK); Jenna Topra; Noora Karvonen; Laura Hillberg; Jenna Tivnan; Alma Forstén; Minea Lassas (c); Milja Kiviranta; Lacee Bethea; Kerttu Sarelius; Miho Kamogawa.