Chelsea, Lyon and Roma stay perfect with victories in Women's Champions League

Chelsea, Lyon and Roma all stayed perfect in the Women’s Champions League by cruising to away victories on Thursday.

Roma routed Galatasaray at Istanbul 6-1, Chelsea beat Twente in the Netherlands 3-1 and eight-time champion Lyon won 2-0 at Wolfsburg.

Real Madrid claimed its first victory of the campaign by easing past Celtic 4-0.

Roma and Lyon both have six points in Group A. Two-time champion Wolfsburg and Galatasaray, the first Turkish team to reach the group stage, have no points.

In Group B, Chelsea leads with six points, with Madrid and Twente on three and Celtic last bottom without a point.

Wolfsburg striker Alexandra Popp made her 100th competition appearance — becoming only the second player to reach the mark but it was Lyon defender Wendie Renard, the only one who has played more, who stole the show.

Renard’s header found the back of the net early on in her 118th game in the competition.

U.S. international Lindsey Horan netted from the penalty spot in the second half.

Lyon is the competition’s record eight-time champion but last won the trophy in 2022. It was runner-up last season to Barcelona.

In a matchup between the Italian and Turkish champions, Roma dominated in Istanbul.

Summer signing Hawa Cissoko scored in the seventh minute to mark her debut game in the competition. The France defender who transferred from West Ham headed home off Manuela Giugliano's corner.

Valentina Giacinti made it 2-0 in the 24th minute when she was left unmarked near the spot to head in Verena Hanshaw's cross.

Giugliano failed to convert from the spot in the first-half stoppage time but Emilie Haavi got Roma's third with a right-footed blast past goalkeeper Gamze Yaman early in the second.

Giugliano finally found the back of the net from close range for a 4-0 lead before Andrea Staskova scored the consolation goal for the hosts. Roma substitutes Marta Pandini and Alice Corelli also scored.

Chelsea struck early in another winning performance under new coach Sonia Bompastor, who joined from Lyon.

Agnes Beever-Jones put the Blues ahead with a long-distance deflected strike in the seventh minute and Maika Hamano made it 2-0 a short time later by lifting the ball over goalkeeper Olivia Clark from outside the area.

Substitute Guro Reiten added the third in the second from the spot just past the hour mark.

On Saturday, Chelsea beat city rival Arsenal 2-1 in the Women’s Super League.

Real Madrid scored three second-half goals in 11 minutes against Celtic in Group B.

The Spanish team had lost to Chelsea 3-2 in the first round and drew with Atlético 1-1 in the Madrid derby over the weekend.

Caroline Weir fired a long-range left-footer from outside the box into the far top corner in the seventh minute.

The visitors kept if close until the 72nd minute, when Signe Bruun headed home the second goal followed eight minutes later by Caroline Moller's lob of goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty for a 3-0 lead. Linda Caicedo then converted from the penalty spot.

It's back-to-back losses for Scottish club Celtic, making its debut in the group stage. It has yet to score.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Galatasaray's Ebru Topcu, left, tussles for the ball with Roma's Manuela Giugliano during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)

Roma's Valentina Giacinti, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's second goal during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)

Galatasaray's Andrea Staskova, center, fights for the ball with Roma's Saki Kumagai, left, and Moeka Minami during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)

Roma's Valentina Giacinti, left, celebrates with teammate Giada Greggi after scoring their side's second goal during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)

Roma's players celebrate after teammate Valentina Giacinti scored their side's second goal during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)

Galatasaray's Kristina Bakarandze, left, vies for the ball with Roma's Evelyne Viens during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)

Galatasaray's Ebru Topcu, center, fights for the ball with Roma's Saki Kumagai, left, and Verena Hanshaw during the women's Champions League group A soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma at Ataturk Olympic stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Huseyin Yavuz/Dia Photo via AP)

Lyon's Lindsey Horan scores from the penalty spot during the Women's Champions League group stage soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyon at the AOK Stadion in Wolfsburg, Germany, Thursday Oct. 17, 2024. (Swen Pförtner/dpa via AP)

Wolfsburg's Merle Frohms shoots the ball during the Women's Champions League group stage soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyon, at AOK Stadion in Wolfsburg, Germany, Thursday Oct. 17, 2024. (Swen Pförtner/dpa via AP)

Lyon's Lindsey Horan celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Women's Champions League group stage soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyon at the AOK Stadion in Wolfsburg, Germany, Thursday Oct. 17, 2024. (Swen Pförtner/dpa via AP)

Lyon's Wendie Renard, top let, heads the ball to score their side's first goal of the game during the Women's Champions League group stage soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyon, at the AOK Stadion in Wolfsburg, Germany, Thursday Oct. 17, 2024. (Swen Pförtner/dpa via AP)

Lyon's Lindsey Horan celebrates after scoring a goal during the Women's Champions League group stage soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyon, at the AOK Stadion in Wolfsburg, Germany, Thursday Oct. 17, 2024. (Swen Pförtner/dpa via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)