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Key events
Half time: Arsenal 1-0 Benfica
Alessia Russo’s excellent finish has given Arsenal a deserved lead at Meadow Park. Benfica had one great chance, missed by Froya Dorsin, but for the most part Arsenal were the better team.
45 min Two minutes of added fun.
45 min Pauels makes another decent save, diving low to her left to push Russo’s long-range shot round the post.
41 min That was Russo’s 21st goal in the WCL, which equals Fran Kirby’s record for an England player.
Arsenal worked the ball down the left, with Catley and Hinds involved at the start. Foord flicked a clever pass round the corner to Russo, who cracked a low shot into the far corner from 15 yards. A ruthless finish from a quite brilliant player.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Benfica (Russo 39)
And… action!
33 min Batlle skips down the right and crosses towards Smith, who watches the bounce and hits a good shot that is pushed round the near post by the diving Pauels. Excellent stop.
32 min At the other end, Russo drives wide from 16 yards after good play by Smith.
30 min: Great chance for Benfica!
A lamentable backpass from Cooney-Cross puts Dorsin through on goal. She tries to chip Rodriguez but clears the crossbar. What a chance!
28 min: Good save by Pauels!
Corner to Arsenal on the right. It’s lofted deep towards Russo, whose header is well held by Pauels as she falls to her right. There were Arsenal players waiting for a rebound.
26 min Stanway hits a really good shot from just outside the area that is pushed round by the diving Pauels. Good save.
25 min Moller chops neatly past an Arsenal player and finds Csiki, whose long-range shot dribbles through to Rodriguez.
25 min It’s all a bit cagey. Arsenal have played reasonably well without really threatening to score.
21 min Benfica win their first corner of the game. Bratberg Lund’s inswinger is headed away well by De Almeida.
19 min Nice play from Arsenal. Stanway scoops a pass over the top towards Batlle, who turns a defender and slides a precise low cross back towards Smith. Her first-time shot is blocked.
16 min Smith’s driven free-kick from the right reaches Russo, whose shot on the turn is blocked.
13 min Arsenal have been the better team without threatening to overwhelm Benfica. Long way to go, etc.
10 min A terrific cross from Reuteler on the right is thrashed behind for an Arsenal corner. Not sure who the defender was but they could easily have done an OG.
7 min Another long-range shot from Smith, who has started in a central position, is easily saved by Pauels.
5 min A pretty quiet start to the game, on the field anyway. The small crowd at Meadow Park are making plenty of noise.
2 min Olivia Smith drives a low shot from 20 yards that is comfortably saved by Lena Pauels.
I forgot to say that Benfica are without their excellent Brazilian striker Nycole Raysla because of injury.
1 min Benfica, in white, kick off from right to left as we watch.
The players are ready for action on a crisp, chilly night at Meadow Park. Let’s play!
“Time was, the despondent Arsenal fan could turn away from a poor showing by the men’s team to see something inspiring by the women; serial winners, of course, under the inimitable Vic Akers,” writes Charles Antaki. “But that was then. Now, faced with trying to get over with a night of embarrassment and chagrin – a hopeless, shaming farrago by the men – watching the women’s team isn’t quite the surefire refreshment it once was. In fact, they’ve been deeply disappointing in all their games this season so far. Inspiration needed all round. Call up Vic. Get him to pull his shorts on and step out onto the technical area. Make it yesterday once more.”
You’re two of my favourite MBMers, but I think I’m in Camp Kári on this. Great managers have wobbles, something I wish I knew when I wrote the most moronic piece of my life 20 years ago.
“I was stunned when I read that Renée Slegers was under pressure,” writes Kári Tulinius. “It’s only just over a year since the greatest triumph in the club’s history, not only winning the Champions League, but beating that Barcelona side. Yes, Arsenal have started horribly, but I think Slegers has shown she’s a great coach.”
WCL results
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Chelsea 2-0 Roma (Carpenter, Buchanan)
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Bayern Munich 2-2 Real Madrid
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Servette 5-1 Leuven
“Don’t forget Servette!” writes Jez Smith. “We are at Servette, where we saw our team put in a commanding performance to beat Leuven 5-1. We are, at least briefly, be above the likes of Manchester City. Which feels incredible after our first two defeats in the campaign.”
Ellie Carpenter has put Chelsea 1-0 up at home to Roma, and Momoko Tanikawa has scored Bayern Munich’s second equaliser at home to Real Madrid. Yep.
Team news
Renee Slegers makes three changes from the win at Spurs. Elisa De Almeida, Ona Batlle and Geraldine Reuteler come in for Leah Williamson, Emily Fox and Lisa Baum
Arsenal (4-2-3-1) Rodriguez; Batlle, De Almeida, Catley, Hinds; Cooney-Cross, Stanway; Smith, Reuteler, Foord; Russo.
Subs: Borbe, Damm, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Williamson, Little, Baum, Blackstenius, Holmberg.
Benfica (4-3-3) Pauels; Amado, Gomes, Testen, Bratberg Lund; Pauleta, Moller, Csiki; Davidson, Dorsin, Alves.
Subs: Thais Lima, Bihina, Demehin, Norton, Borges, Oliveira, Sabastine, Tristao, Ziqin, Costa, Loucao, Guedes.
The half-time scores in tonight’s early games
Preamble
Hello, hello and welcome to live coverage of Arsenal v Benfica in the Women’s Champions League. Arsenal will hope their 2-1 win at Tottenham kickstarts a hitherto disappointing season. They’re sixth in the WSL, with two wins from seven, and have four points out of six in the Champions League. It should really be six from six – they led 2-0 away to Paris FC last month before being pegged back.
This is what the head coach Renee Slegers had to say in her programme notes for tonight’s game.
Let’s make Saturday’s success against Tottenham Hotspur the beginning of something. We have been on such a frustrating run of games and to be able to break that cycle on Saturday, at the north London derby no less, meant so much to all of us.
You all deserved that win. Your dedication to this team throughout a difficult start to the season has been nothing short of incredible and we are all so grateful for your support. We wanted to make sure you knew that.
The supporters were on our minds all week in the lead-up to the match. We’d spoken within the group about how everyone wanted to play for something bigger than themselves, and there’s no greater symbol for that than a sold-out away end of nearly 4,000 people. So we said: let’s do this for you. In times like these, actions speak louder than words.
You could see that when Leah sprinted to you the moment the final whistle blew, with Isabella Damm and Amy Liddiard right there in the crowd alongside you. Saturday was an outpouring of relief, but it was also more than that. It was a sign of the connection we share. You are all a part of this team.
Kick off 8pm.
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