On Thursday night, we advanced to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League thanks to Lina Hurtig’s dramatic winner in the 89th minute against Juventus.
With this victory, our team has now secured six wins in the last seven matches across all competitions, ensuring our place in the knockout stages with two group matches still to be played.
Match Summary
The first half was marked by a lack of chances, with the first shot on target only occurring in the 24th minute when Eva Schatzer connected with Aruba Caruso’s corner, but her low shot went straight to goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.
On the other side, Frida Maanum had an attempt that sailed over the bar after she intercepted the ball high on the pitch.
Katie McCabe’s cross from the left nearly found its mark but ended up on the roof of the net. Mariona Caldentey’s feathery ball to Caitlin Foord saw the latter tumble in the box, but the referee opted not to award a penalty.
Juventus responded quickly, with Sofia Cantore’s shot deflected directly into van Domselaar’s grasp.
The second half saw increased intensity when Lia Walti set up Foord, who delivered a perfect pass across the goal, unfortunately, no teammate was positioned to capitalize.
Sections of the Arsenal crowd thought their team had broken the deadlock when Maanum’s first-time strike went narrowly wide after a clever one-two between Mariona and McCabe.
A flurry of action followed a corner taken by McCabe, but no goal resulted, leading coach Renee Slegers to make changes, substituting Foord and Maanum for Beth Mead and Stina Blackstenius, who celebrated her 100th appearance for the club.
Williamson soared for a header from yet another McCabe corner, but the breakthrough goal still eluded us.
Caruso came closest to scoring for Juventus, but her attempt was skillfully parried away by van Domselaar.
As the match approached its final minutes, Hurtig was brought on for Alessia Russo, making her presence felt almost instantly with a header that hit the side netting following a cross from Williamson.
Kim Little’s ball found Hurtig yet again; however, she scooped her shot just over the bar despite having a clear opportunity.
In a late substitution, Rosa Kafaji came on for Little in the 88th minute, leading to a thrilling finale as Blackstenius’ cross was bundled in by Hurtig one minute from full time. Kafaji later set Blackstenius through on goal, but she was denied by goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud Magnin before the final whistle confirmed our victory at a jubilant Arsenal Stadium.
Implications of the Win
This victory keeps us in second place in Group C of the Champions League, with nine points from four matches, solidifying our path to the quarter-finals.
Looking Ahead
Following the international break, we will return to Barclays Women’s Super League action on Sunday, December 8, against Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium with a 2 PM kickoff. Our Champions League campaign will continue with a fixture against Valerenga at 5:45 PM on Thursday, December 12.
Team Line-ups
Arsenal XI: van Domselaar, Fox, Williamson, Catley, Mariona, Little (C) (Kafaji 88), McCabe, Maanum (Blackstenius 66), Walti, Foord (Mead 66), Russo (Hurtig 80)
Substitutes (not used): Zinsberger, Williams, Wubben-Moy, Codina, Wienroither, Reid, Cooney-Cross, Kuhl
Juventus XI: Peyraud Magnin, Lenzini, Calligaris, Cascarino, Bergamaschi (Bonansea 66), Schatzer, Bennison (Boattin 66), Krumbiegel (Thomas 82), Caruso, Cantore (Beccari 74), Vangsgaard (Girelli 74)
Substitutes (not used): Kullberg, Lehmann, Rosucci, Bragonzi, Capelletti, Gallo, Proulx
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