Charlton Athletic 1-5 West Ham United women's team
Subway® Women's League Cup, Group C, The Valley, Wednesday 24 September 2025, 7pm BST
Two stunning goals from Manuela Paví and Leila Wandeler helped West Ham United women’s team to a 5-1 success at Charlton Athletic in their opening match in Group C of the Subway® Women's League Cup on Wednesday night.
On her first competitive start for the Hammers, Ffion Morgan gave us a half-time advantage with a clinical finish, before Paví came off the bench and fired into the top corner just three minutes after the break.
Although Katie Bradley pulled Charlton back into the contest from close range after her penalty was saved by Megan Walsh, Wandeler, also making her full debut, found the top-right corner with a superb curling finish from range.
Capping off a trio of first starts with goals, Sarah Brasero got in on the act seven minutes from time before Shekiera Matinez added a fifth off the bench to send us top of the early Group C standings.
The first half saw the Hammers assert complete control early on and they should have broken the deadlock after just ten minutes on the clock when Seraina Piubel unleashed an effort from the edge of the box, but it rolled just past the post.
We grew in confidence and pressed with intensity, particularly through Anna Csiki, Leila Wandeler and Sarah Brasero, and the latter scampered to the byline, however, her cross was collected by Anna Pedersen in the Charlton goal.
Brasero was soon involved again in another dangerous Hammers attack, flicking the ball quickly to onrushing full-back Yu Endo, who won a corner. And from the resulting set-piece, we took a deserved lead. The ball worked its way out to Halle Houssein, who teed up Morgan on the edge of the box, and the Wales international found the bottom-left corner with a precise finish.
After falling behind, Charlton grew into the game slightly and full-back Charlotte Newsham forced West Ham shot-stopper Walsh into making a pair of smart saves down low from inside the box.
As the first half drew to a close, Houssein shot wide of the post from range before Morgan cut back for Piubel inside the box, but our No77’s first-time effort crashed agonizingly wide.
The Hammers picked up from where they left off at the start of the second half, with Morgan again picking out Piubel, who was unable to get a shot away from inside the area.
The opportunity came after Skinner sent on Paví at the break, and our No11 wasted no time in getting in on the action. Twenty-five yards out, a few touches to set herself, Paví rocketed a strike into the top-right corner to double our advantage.
That was the start of a manic second half, as just six minutes after we doubled our advantage, Charlton halved the deficit. Referee Levi Gray awarded the home side a penalty after Amber Tysiak was adjudged to have committed a foul in the box and although Walsh saved Bradley’s initial effort, the No7 followed in the rebound.
Instead of allowing Charlton to build on their goal back, the Irons went up the other end and struck another goal-of-the-season contender. This time it was Wandeler, who delivered an acute nutmeg before bursting forward and curling an audacious effort into the top corner.
The goals didn’t dry up there, though, as Brasero got in on the act with a composed finish from inside the penalty area before substitute Martinez came off the bench to cap off a superb evening in south-east London with a venomous finish in the 89th minute.
Charlton Athletic: Pedersen, Newsham (Muya HT), Ross, Pearse, Bradley (Finlayson 73), Kenney, Fitzgerald (Barratt 73), Skeels ©, Siber, Mcateer (HT), Lobato,
Subs not used: Whitehouse (GK), N'dow, Bissell, Hutton, Thestrup
Goal: Bradley 55
West Ham United: Walsh, Endo, Tysiak ©, Cemal (Hanshaw 60), Belloumou, Houssein, Brasero (Siren 84), Csiki (Paví HT), Wandeler, Morgan (Martinez 60), Piubel (Taylor-Brown 60)
Subs not used: O'Hanlon (GK), Nyström, Denton, Asseyi
Goals: Morgan 18, Paví 48, Wandeler 64, Brasero 83, Martinez 89
Referee: Levi Gray
Attendance: TBC
