A hard-fought victory over OH Leuven at Meadow Park sent Arsenal through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they will face Chelsea next month. The visitors tested Renée Slegers’s side when Sára Pusztai cancelled out Alessia Russo’s goal but a penalty from Mariona Caldentey and second from Russo secured the win, earning them a comfortable 7-1 aggregate score.
This was a disjointed performance from the hosts but it will have done little to dampen the high spirits in north London.
Arsenal are a team full of confidence right now and this was their sixth win in a row. Slegers’s squad have proved a lot over the last few weeks, both to themselves and those on the outside, as they near the end of a taxing period of games.
Since returning from the winter break, they have won seven of their nine fixtures (losing just one) and featured in five different competitions. They have lifted the inaugural Champions Cup and now secured progression to the last eight of the Women’s Champions League. It has been a month that will have tested them to their limits but one that will have given them belief that they can challenge on multiple fronts.
Slegers and her players will have learned a lot about themselves. They have played brilliantly at times and proven their mettle at others; sometimes accused of not having the stomach for a fight, they have shown that they can dig in and find ways to win. This resilience has been key over a five-week stretch that has seen them play every three or four days, adapt to rotation in the squad and deal with the contrasting styles of football that their opponents have brought to the table.
“We’ve learned that we have so many players in good form and so many who can perform for us in different roles as well,” Slegers said. “One example is Victoria Pelova who played in the 6 at the start of this game and finished on the right. Then the whole sum of its parts becomes really good. That’s the standout for me.”
They were always expected to come through this playoff unscathed. The mismatch in resources and experience between the current holders and the plucky newcomers was clear to see from the outset, particularly since they had already beaten them comfortably in the league phase back in December.
Quick GuideManchester United’s Sandberg sidelined by knee injury
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Manchester United will be without the left-back Anna Sandberg for anything between four and eight weeks, the United head coach Marc Skinner has revealed, before the second leg of their Women’s Champions League knockout playoff tie against Atlético Madrid on Thursday.
The Sweden international has been in excellent form this season but a knee injury means she would be very likely to miss the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich, if Manchester United were to progress past Atlético. United lead 3-0 from the first leg.
“There’s a little bit of a tidy up that needs to be done around her meniscus,” said Skinner, who is hoping that Sandberg will return for the last “three or four games” of the season, adding: “She will be around four to six to eight weeks, that’s the timeframe we’ve been given. Best is four, middle is six. Obviously worst case is eight.
“We’re hopeful we can get it to six [weeks]. But we won’t take any risks. She’s a young player so we’ll make sure she’s rehabbed effectively.”
Jayde Riviere and Fridolina Rolfö are also doubts for the visit of the Spanish side, while the England midfielder Ella Toone is “doing really well” but remains sidelined with a hip injury. Skinner said the club are aiming to welcome Toone back in time for March’s local derby against the Women’s Super League leaders Manchester City. Tom Garry
That is perhaps the one flaw of this reimagined Champions League – with just 18 teams featuring in the league phase, the probability is that the eight teams who have to go through the playoffs will have to meet for a second time. It led to a less enticing set of games than there perhaps could have been for the two English sides involved.
This tie was practically over after the away leg but the signs of complacency that crept in on this occasion will have frustrated Slegers. Despite Russo’s early goal putting the host ahead, Leuven challenged a disjointed Arsenal defence and found a deserved equaliser through Pusztai.
The context for Arsenal’s issues on this occasion were key. The conditions in Borehamwood were atrocious. The incessant rainfall made for a very heavy pitch. Things improved after the break as Arsenal regained the lead thanks to a quintessential penalty conversion from Caldentey.
It took the sting out of Leuven’s tail and Russo added another as the game came to a close.
Half of the defensive unit was changed with Lotte Wubben-Moy and Smilla Holmberg coming in and there was a lack of communication which perhaps explained why they were being caught out by the pace of the Leuven attackers.
It saw the Gunners cruise through a hotly anticipated encounter against their London rivals.
