Arsenal overcame a spirited OH Leuven facet and tough situations at Meadow Park to arrange a Girls’s Champions League quarter-final with Chelsea, because of a 3-1 win over the Belgian champions and 7-1 triumph on mixture.
The Gunners are into the competitors’s final eight for a joint-record seventeenth time and can go right into a mouth-watering two-leg showdown with their London rivals filled with perception they’ll proceed their defence of the crown, given their newest huge win in Europe and unbeaten document in opposition to Chelsea within the WSL this season.
Arsenal’s progress to that blockbuster conflict was by no means doubtful on Wednesday given their 4-0 first-leg lead over Leuven – however it proved a trickier night time than anticipated, with rain lashing down and wind gusting throughout a cut-up pitch.
Alessia Russo’s swivel and end from contained in the field after 23 minutes urged one other thrashing could possibly be coming however Leuven pressured Arsenal into some sloppy errors and levelled when Sara Pusztai’s close-range strike was given following a VAR intervention to overrule an offside name within the build-up.
Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar had earlier been pressured into a pointy one-on-one cease to disclaim Jada Conijnenberg and was uncovered on a pair extra events earlier than the break.
Mariona Caldentey scored a penalty to revive Arsenal’s lead on the night time
However Arsenal, who might have added one other within the first half via Frida Maanum’s point-blank header, have been extra assured within the second interval, and Mariona Caldentey’s penalty lastly knocked the stuffing out of their guests.
Caitlin Foord gained the spot-kick with considered one of her many dribbles down the left and she or he was considered one of a number of Arsenal gamers who went shut earlier than Russo slid in her second of the night time within the last seconds, as Renee Slegers’ facet completed nicely and really on high.
Russo excited by Chelsea quarter-final for ‘constructive’ Arsenal
Alessia Russo to Disney+:
“We’re playing well, we’re playing good football and I think that breeds confidence in everyone. We’re grinding out results in different ways, everyone is contributing, so I think the feeling around the whole team in general is really positive.
“It is so thrilling [to face Chelsea]. A staff we’re so acquainted with. Whenever you get nearer to the ultimate, you come up in opposition to actually powerful groups, and it is going to be superb. Two high groups developing in opposition to one another for a spot within the semi-final, it is unreal.”
