Women's Champions League Performance Insights: Managing a red card
Monday, February 23, 2026
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UEFA technical observer Gemma Grainger analyses the tactical and psychological challenges created by a red-card scenario in the return leg of the UEFA Women's Champions League knockout phase play-off between Paris FC and Real Madrid.
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Red cards create some of the most complex situations in elite football, particularly in knockout matches where game state and aggregate score shape decision-making.
Paris FC faced exactly this challenge when they were reduced to ten players while still needing a goal to remain competitive in their UEFA Women's Champions League knockout phase play-off second leg against Real Madrid. The numerical disadvantage forced immediate adaptations, influencing their attacking ambition and defensive organisation.
Grainger explained the uniqueness of the situation: "Having a player sent off while still needing goals in a two-legged tie places a team in a uniquely difficult tactical position. With fewer players available, Paris were required to balance the necessity of chasing a goal with protecting themselves against Real Madrid's transition threat."
She noted that the consequences quickly became evident: "The challenges for Paris became clear: with a player less they would have fewer attacking situations and would have to encounter defending-in-transition moments as shown in the clip. Despite facing these attacking transitions they didn't concede from them and displayed their emergency defending in these moments to make sure they didn't concede."
The dilemma extended to attacking structure and defensive balance. Committing numbers forward could increase scoring probability but also expose the team during turnovers. Grainger emphasised that deciding whether to opt for the same amount of players in the box to increase chances of scoring, or try to have an extra player on the edge of the box to protect against transitions depended on "the type of attack and on the team philosophy". She added: "You can have numbers on the edge of the box, but if the clearance is bigger than that, as it is in one of the clips, then coaching defending the transition is also an important part of preparation."
Real Madrid's attacking threat in the first half largely emerged through transitions. "The ingredients that allowed Real to create the transition moments were their forward mentality when travelling with the ball or when the first pass was made forward. This meant they created fast attacks with their individual quality and speed in their attacking players."
Despite the disadvantage, Paris remained competitive throughout the first half by reorganising effectively into a compact defensive block that limited clear opportunities. Their collective defensive behaviour frustrated Real Madrid and slowed attacking rhythm. As Grainger observed, "Paris defended with good structure and compactness, allied to very good mentality out of possession to ensure that they were difficult to break down. They also displayed impressive resilience throughout the game with ten players, which was admirable."
The second half saw important tactical adjustments from Real Madrid, alongside a forced change following an injury to Caroline Weir. The introduction of Sandie Toletti added greater balance and control in midfield, influencing the rhythm and structure of the Spanish side's attacking play. Statistical changes reflected this shift, with Real Madrid increasing possession (from 64.1% to 73.7%) and total passes (from 271 to 380) in the second period.
Grainger explained Toletti's impact: "Earlier in the week we spoke about how they created wide attacks and overloads in wide areas. Toletti provided a different dimension with her support play, shortening passes and working with the other two midfield players to provide more rotation to switch the play and create more quality in wide attacking situations. Toletti offered more balance and support for the player on the ball and in front of the back line."
Her positional intelligence also shaped Real's circulation of possession. "This passing map shows a significant impact on the game and how she looked to control and dictate the tempo for Madrid to ensure they could create wide attacks through switches of play," Grainger added. "This also shows her ability to recognise when play needs to be switched: the passes are all sideways, while in the final third you can see her ability to find forward passes. Her decision-making is clear to see. This control in midfield provided a platform for sustained possession, which ultimately led to two goals."
Coaching focus: How to prepare for an early red card
Beyond tactical structure, the match highlighted the psychological demands placed on both teams when facing a numerical imbalance. So far this season, there have been seven games featuring a red card (including two matches when two players were sent off). In five of those cases, the team playing against ten players went on to win, whereas twice teams were unable to turn the game around despite their numerical advantage.
Grainger stressed the importance of patience for the side with the advantage: "From a player perspective it's important to display patience. Often low-block teams, even with ten players, take time to break down, and it is in the later stages of games when teams often score. Continuing to have the mentality to do the right things with the ball and having that psychological patience is so important to maintain control."
Although Real Madrid held both the aggregate lead and a numerical advantage, the situation brought its own pressures. "This was quite a unique game because Real didn't need to score in the game to win," Grainger explained. "Regardless of that they would've wanted to have won the game, and how they persevered to find a way to win against a very resilient Paris team was a key part of the game, with Navarro's crossing ability being the stand-up quality which beat Paris in the end." She added that "Teams with ten players can be harder to beat because they focus on defending more than attacking."
Preparation for such scenarios extends beyond tactics into psychological readiness. "Helping players and supporting players from a psychological perspective to remain patient and stick to the game plan provides tactical solutions that can help exploit the ten players," Grainger said. She emphasised that contingency planning is essential: "Every team will have a ten-player strategy. The unique situation of a two-legged game adds to that. More strategies will involve counterattacks and set pieces."
Reflecting on historical examples, she added: "The best example of a team with ten players winning a game I can think of was Germany in the quarter-final of UEFA Women's EURO 2025 against France. Defenders being able to defend player for player and sometimes underloaded is an important consideration for coaches when coaching defending to help players."
Across the tie, the match illustrated that red-card scenarios are not defined solely by numerical disadvantage, but by organisation and psychological awareness. Paris demonstrated resilience and defensive cohesion, while Real Madrid ultimately showed patience and tactical ability to convert numerical superiority into a win.
Gemma Grainger began her managerial career in women's club football with Leeds United and Middlesbrough before moving into international coaching, spending over a decade leading various England youth teams. She is a former Wales head coach and now serves as head coach of Norway.
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