Gunners are the comeback pros of the Women’s Champions League!

Just Arsenal News

·30 mars 2025

Gunners are the comeback pros of the Women’s Champions League!

The Emirates stadium was awaiting Arsenal Women on Wednesday night, for what would be somewhat of a make-or-break season for our Gunner ladies.

The team was unchanged from the weekends game against Liverpool and even Kim Little recovered from the rolled ankle she sustained to start for the women.

Vidéos OneFootball

And of course, a pristine pitch and a great atmosphere was already a positive starting advantage for when our ladies when they took on Real Madrid.

Renee Slegers speaking ahead of the match to Sky Sports said: “home advantage can help her side “create something magical” to overturn Real Madrid’s 2-0 lead in their Women’s Champions League quarter-final… If you want to play at the highest level and win games, you need to deal with any circumstance.”

With the Emirates loud and buzzing the women surely fed off of the great atmosphere too as they started the way they finished the Liverpool game. Full of pressure and dominance, barely giving Madrid a sniff on the ball and in doing so caused Madrid to rush in all they did making mistakes and being sloppy.

The first half was pure pressure and all Arsenal, where Alessia Russo was constantly waiting for that pass into the final third but despite all the pressing and possession for us the one thing lacking was a clinical pass and then the final finish but credit to Arsenal as they kept Madrid out for 40 minutes as after that, Madrid’s first shot at goal came where they had ventured into the Arsenal box for the first time, but for a great save by Daphne Van Domselaar the game remained at 0-0 and despite the one way traffic from Arsenal the Madrid wall stood firm.

So the first half would end 0-0 and a big second half would await us where we needed to score two plus goals to even think of a comeback.

Yet the game was soon on…

50 seconds into the second half and a great run by Caitlin Foord, found Chloe Kelly who then crossed the ball into the box and who else would be there but Russo, who scored her fifth goal in eight matches from barely four yards out.

Gunner fans didn’t have to wait too long for the next goal though, two minutes and 48 seconds later, another cross in by Kelly found Mariona Caldentey and with a bullet header and a slip through the fingers of Madrid keeper Misa, she found the back of the net for her fifth goal in eight matches too and it was 2-0 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate.

On the 59th minute a free kick whipped in by Katie McCabe fell to Steph Catley, who got a rebounded header that fell into the path of Russo, who bundled it in for her second goal of the game and Arsenal’s third. Again the relentless pressure from Arsenal made it three goals in 13 minutes and surely we wouldn’t let this opportunity slip now..

Arsenal were cruising and Slegers made some changes with Frida Maanum being replaced by Lia Walti and Kelly who would leave the pitch with two assists would be replaced by Beth Mead for the remaining 17 minutes.

The chances would keep coming though and Arsenal had 12 attempts to the sole one from Madrid.

Kim little was replaced on the 89th minute by Stina Blackstenius for the remainder of the game, and six minutes would be added on to the game, during which Madrid’s second attempt would come, on the 92nd minute, and it fell to Lina Caicedo, but again for the hands of Van Domselaar her clean sheet would remain intact.

The fourth goal nearly came so many times, but it wasn’t to be as two offside goals by Russo, who was so near and yet so far from her first Arsenal hattrick, had to settle for the two goals on the night. And the game would finish 3-0 and Arsenal would go through to the semi-finals for the eighth time in their history, 3-2 on aggregate.

Quality, clinical finishing and the first and second half intensities that piled pure pressure on their opponents put Madrid to the sword and really brought them crashing back down to earth after their 3-1 win against Barcelona on the weekend.

And with 22517 in attendance watching the deserved win, the fans were for sure the 12th man and helped to get our ladies over the line!

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match Russo said: “Madrid victory was best night in Arsenal shirt, hopefully long may they continue, but yeah that one was special..Yeah it was amazing, it still feels surreal right now, not really letting it sink it yet. We have had a lot of belief all week, we knew what we wanted to do and we knew what we are capable of as a team and we have done that tonight.”

I guess that’s what a pristine pitch, intense pressure, clinical finishing and a loud backing of supporters will give you hey Gooners ?

Gentlemen it is over to you…

Shenel Osman @sh3n3l_

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