OH Leuven Women 0-3 Arsenal Women: Holders cruise to victory in Belgium but have to settle for Women’s Champions League play-off spot | Football News
Arsenal secured a 3-0 victory at OH Leuven, but it was not enough for the Champions League holders to secure a top-four place and a direct route to the quarter-finals.
René Slegers’ side had already secured a play-off place before the final day, but they still had hopes of securing an automatic place in the last eight if they managed to pull off a big win and results elsewhere went in their favour.
The Gunners played their part as goals from Olivia Smith (18) and Beth Mead (27) put them on course for victory before a Saar Janssen own goal rounded off a decent night for the north London side.
Arsenal, who now have five consecutive victories in all competitions, finish the Champions League phase in fifth place and will be seeded for Thursday’s draw (12:00 p.m.) where they will know whether they will face Atletico Madrid or OH Leuven again in the play-offs in February.
Smith inspires Gunners to win in Belgium
On a comfortable evening for Arsenal, Smith gave his side the lead in the 18th minute, eluding two defenders to unleash a well-saved shot before slotting home the rebound for his first Champions League goal.
Leuven were struggling to cope with the pace of Arsenal’s attacks and a second passed when Alessia Russo found Mead, who headed a curling shot towards goal.
Smith fired a tame shot from the edge of the box as chances began to dry up for the Gunners, who were now facing stiffer resistance from the Belgians.
Goalkeeper Lowiese Seynhaeve then saved a strong attempt from Smith, who was Arsenal’s most dangerous player.
When Arsenal’s third goal arrived in the 68th minute, it was with a dose of luck after Caitlin Foord’s cross was turned into her own net by Janssen as the Gunners headed for all three points in Belgium.
“Arsenal are in a good position for the future”
Arsenal star Beth Mead was pleased with the 3-0 victory at OH Leuven, although it was not enough to secure direct qualification for the Champions League quarter-finals.
“We know Leuven are a very difficult team to break down, so it was good to score two goals in the first half,” Mead said. Disney+.
“I think we played really well and created a lot of different chances. Maybe we could have been a bit more clinical, but we’re happy to have scored three goals.
“In a game like this you touch the ball a lot and for me individually I like doing that as a player. Plus the team loves being on the ball so it was an enjoyable game to be a part of.
“I was happy with my own performance. There were some things that frustrated me, you could probably see that I was. But I’m happy to have scored, happy to play well and happy to get the win.
“We have finished our Champions League campaign very well so far and finished fifth, so that puts us in a good position.”
All-WSL quarter-final on the horizon IF Arsenal and Man Utd join Chelsea in quarter-finals
The championship phase of the Women’s Champions League is over!
Chelsea have secured a top-four spot, meaning they advance directly to the quarterfinals.
Arsenal And Man Utd finishing fifth and sixth respectively. They will participate in the play-offs in February and one of them will face Atletico Madridwhile the other will meet OH Leuven.
They will know their respective opponents during the draw on Thursday (12 p.m.).
One thing we know is that if both Arsenal And Man Utd reach the final eight, one of them will face a huge all-WSL showdown with Chelsea. What an opportunity that would be!
What is the program for the rest of the tournament?
- February 11-12: Dams go go
- February 18-19: Play-off second leg
- March 24-25: Quarter-final first leg
- April 1 and 2: Quarter-final second leg
- April 25-26: Semi-finals first leg
- May 2-3: Semi-finals first leg
- May 24: Final