Eidevall & Stroot ready for UWCL round 2. Arsenal v Wolfsburg at Emirates on 1st May! by Michelle
With a heavy playing schedule and a heavy list of player injuries, Arsenal Women headed to Wolfsburg’s Volkswagen Arena, to take on the German Bundesliga champions, in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final, on Sunday 23 April.
After losing 1-0 to Manchester United Women mid-week – a game which saw Leah Williamson suffering an ACL injury, in the opening minutes – our Gunners really had to dig deep, with Eidevall needing every inch of the squad depth available to him, as they faced Wolfsburg.
See highlights: Wolfsburg 2-2 Arsenal and Match Review
Wolfsburg went ahead on 19 minutes with a goal from Ewa Pajor, followed swiftly with another goal from Sveindis Jonsdottir – after a defensive error from Arsenal’s Rafaelle. Rafaelle then scored at the other end of the field, before half-time, after a shot from Maanum forced a corner. Rafaelle rose for the header and gifted Arsenal a lifeline and a way back into the game.
The 2nd half saw Stina Blackstenius score Arsenal’s equalizer on the 70th minute after fantastic setup play from Lotte Wubben-Moy and Victoria Pelova. Arsenal showed real resilience in their defensive and attacking play.
The manager’s know their team’s have everything to play for on the return leg next week. The fixture will take place at Emirates stadium on 1st May, kick-off 17:45 UK. Tickets are still available to purchase here. Read what the Eidevall and Stroot had to say post-match below:
Manager Jonas Eidevall on Arsenal‘s performance, especially in the second half…
“It’s a very resilient team we had out there today. There’s a lot of adversity we go through. It’s a top result being 2-0 down. We respond in a very good way to give ourselves the chance to turn this match around by. With that background, of course, the result is pleasing, but it’s only half-time. Both teams have everything to play for when we see each other in London.”
Wolfsburg manager Tommy Stroot: “It was the kind of contest we were expecting, evenly-matched, with it all coming down to the little details and where we were pushed to the limit. When you go 2-0 up, you obviously want to take that lead into the second leg. We’ll analyse the match in depth and be well prepared for when we pick it up again at 2-2 on 1 May in London. The aim is obviously to make it through to the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.”
With nearly 50,000 tickets sold for the return leg, Emirates will be bouncing for this historic game! Do you think our Gunners can do it? Of course, they can!
COYGW!
Follow Michelle on Just Gooner Women on Twitter for regular updates on the Arsenal Womens Team!
Do you want to read more about the Arsenal Women’s Team? Click here….
