Manchester City missed out on a place in the Champions League group stage after their former midfielder Caroline Weir struck the goal that gave Real Madrid a 1-0 victory on Sunday.
Scottish star Weir left City in July, and in a reunion with her old club she hit the winner in the 15th minute at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
Three weeks after England s Euro 2022 triumph at Wembley, City had Lionesses Keira Walsh, Alex Greenwood, Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp in their starting line-up.
However, they could not force City back onto level terms, meaning that for the second successive year, two-time semi-finalists City have gone out to Madrid at the qualifying stage.
Hemp shot wide late on as City s hopes fizzled out in the Spanish capital, with Madrid going through to a final round of qualifying to determine whether they advance to the 16-team group stage, for which Lyon, Barcelona, Chelsea and Wolfsburg are the only automatic entrants.
City were also eliminated by Real Madrid in the men s Champions League last season, when a late turnaround at the Santiago Bernabeu saw Madrid rally from 5-3 behind on aggregate to snatch a 6-5 win after extra time in the semi-finals.
A frustrating night in the , but we exit the competition with our heads held high after a battling performance in Madrid
0-1
— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen)