UEFA Girls’s Champions League
OH Leuven 0 – 3 Arsenal FT
Beth Mead scored her third objective for Arsenal within the Girls’s Champions League this season [Getty Images]
Reigning holders Arsenal needed to accept a spot within the Champions League knockout play-offs regardless of securing a formidable victory over Leuven in Belgium.
The Gunners, who beat Barcelona 1-0 in final season’s closing to turn into European champions, wanted three factors to have any likelihood of ending within the top-four locations and shifting straight into the quarter-finals.
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Nonetheless, regardless of targets from Olivia Smith and Beth Mead and an personal objective from Saar Janssen serving to them to a convincing win, they got here fifth within the league section, one level behind fourth-placed Bayern Munich.
Meaning Renee Slegers facet will now have a two-legged play-off in February towards opponents to be decided within the draw at 12:00 GMT on Thursday.
Arsenal will both face Spanish facet Atletico Madrid or have an prompt rematch towards Leuven, who completed twelfth within the league section.
In Belgium, the Gunners have been by far the higher facet and Alessia Russo had seen two headers saved earlier than Smith scored her first Champions League objective within the 18th minute.
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Smith performed a one-two with Mariona Caldentey and surged into the Leuven penalty space with dwelling goalkeeper Lowiese Seynhaeve saving Smith’s first effort, solely to then be crushed by her follow-up shot.
Mead added a second 9 minutes later. She collected a ball from Russo on the precise facet of the penalty space and lower inside on to her left foot and fired previous Seynhaeve.
Arsenal’s third got here within the 67th minute when Janssen steered Caitlin Foord’s low cross into her personal internet.
It was Leuven’s second defeat of the league section after being crushed 3-0 by Barcelona, however Valerenga’s loss to Bayern Munich meant the Belgians scraped into the knockout play-offs.
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Bayern capitulation comes again to hang-out Gunners
Whereas Slegers would have been delighted together with her facet’s dominant efficiency in Belgium, she is going to know precisely the consequence that has proved expensive for Arsenal.
The Gunners led 2-0 towards Bayern in November, just for the Germans to attain three second-half targets on the Allianz Area, together with two within the final 10 minutes, to grab a 3-2 victory.
If Arsenal had held on for a attract that match they might have claimed a top-four place and Bayern would have ended within the play-offs.
However Slegers will nonetheless be assured of her facet’s probabilities of regaining their European title, which is prone to be Arsenal’s foremost focus this marketing campaign, particularly with them eight factors behind Girls’s Tremendous League leaders Manchester Metropolis domestically.
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Given the convenience they swept Belgian champions Leuven apart, Arsenal could be very pleased to be drawn with them once more if that was the end result in Thursday’s draw.
The knockout play-offs will see Arsenal away, in both Spain or Belgium, on 11 or 12 February, with the house second leg per week later.
One optimistic for Arsenal is that England captain Leah Williamson continued her restoration after 4 months out with a knee damage as she got here on halfway by the second half for her first Champions League look since Could’s closing.
What’s subsequent?
Arsenal play at Crystal Palace on Sunday (13:00 GMT) within the quarter-finals of the Girls’s League Cup, earlier than returning to WSL motion on Saturday, 10 January (12:30 GMT) with a house sport towards Manchester United.