Mak Lind and Jonas Eidevall led their teams in the fight for a ticket to the Women’s Champions League Group Stage. Arsenal had to come back from a 1-0 defeat in Sweden. This time the match was on grass and with the home crowd at Meadow Park. A place where the Gunners feel confident. Let’s have a look at the match and how Arsenal secured that ticket for the Women’s Champions League Group Stage.
Searching for the Right Rhythm
In the first five minutes of the match, Arsenal had most of the ball possession and tried to break through BK Häcken’s defence. The Gunners did create the most danger in that time. Especially Mariona Caldentey’s cross to Mead, who managed to get behind the BK Häcken defence. Unfortunately, goalkeeper Falk was very alert and blocked her possibility to get a shot away.
Just after ten minutes, Arsenal got away with a big scare after a good opportunity for the Swedish club. BK Häcken stayed in the game last time by creating dangerous breakouts and continued that in the second half. Arsenal did seem more confident in the match, knowing their biggest flaw last time was defending.
15 minutes in and Emily Fox gave the ball away to Larisey in a critical area. Lotte Wubben-Moy had to make a technical foul to stop the attacker. This got her a yellow card and a free kick for BK Häcken. This was resolved quickly as the offside flag went up.
Creating the Space
The first half showed the same struggles as in the first leg: Arsenal looking for the space to create something. The BK Häcken defence lined up great again. Katie McCabe managed to find Alessia Russo near the box. She walked into the box, got the ball to her right foot and tried to find the short corner. Falk was there to make the save but gave away a corner. Arsenal did not do anything with the corner as the ball went all the way back to Zinsberger.
The Equalizer Surprised the Crowd
The Gunners upped the pace by sending cross after cross into the box. The formations were constantly moving and changing, which was actually creating the needed space. The fans did not have to wait much longer. Lia Wälti, who did not start the first leg, showed Eidevall why she should be on the pitch. Caldentey found Little, who then gave the ball to Wälti. Her long-distance shot, with her left foot, hit the bottom of the crossbar, impossible for Falk to make the save.
A Change in Tactics
BK Häcken went into the match with a slight advantage but lost this after 22 minutes of play. The team had to switch tactics to become more dangerous instead of only counting on the few breakouts they managed to make. Arsenal was more careful and neater at this point, making it even harder.
Everyone held their breath when Beth Mead went down just before the 30-minute mark. She collided with Nelhage, the BK Häcken defender. Mead seemed in quite some pain and received treatment on the pitch. Caitlin Foord started her warm-up for a possible change. Luckily the Arsenal attacker got back on her feet and could continue. Mead then immediately took a very important free kick, delivering the ball to an unmarked Blackstenius, but the Swedish player could not aim the ball for the goal.
Keep Playing Until the Whistle
Mariona Caldentey doubled the score. A BK Häcken player went down but the play continued. The visitors seemed to expect Arsenal to stop the game, but the attack was set up and underway. Mead got the ball from Russo but could not control the ball, it landed just before Caldentey in the box, and she of course scored it without doubt. The foul was by Blackstenius on the BK Häcken player but everyone knows: you play until the whistle. Something the Gunners struggled with in the past but this time it led to a goal.
The last minutes of the first half contained some chances for Arsenal but did not lead to any more goals. Arsenal leads by 2-0 at halftime.
Pushing Through in the Second Half
The second half started with an early chance for BK Häcken. Mariona Caldentey gave the ball away very easily. Häcken immediately went for goal but Zinsberger saved it. The Gunners woke up after that situation and created the 3-0. Katie McCabe found Mead after a failed attempt on goal. Mead controlled the ball in the box and volleyed it in the net: A Vintage Beth mead.
The Gunners became more and more comfortable in the second half. Russo, Mead and Caldentey knew exactly how to find each other. Giving everyone who watched the match some great football. In the second half frustration build up, leading to more fouls and yellow cards.
The second half was fairly quiet compared to the first half. Blackstenius nearly scored the 4-0 but she was offside and Caldentey had another opportunity. This was a sign for both head coaches to make some changes. Eidevall took Mead off, she scored and hurt herself, so this was a good decision.
Fresh Legs on the pitch
A lot of work on the midfield resulted in Katie McCabe chasing the ball all the way to goalkeeper Falk. She created enough uncertainty there to force a mistake from BK Häcken. Caldentey recovered the ball and ran in the box but her shot went wide. Eidevall took this opportunity for some more changes. Wälti and Russo made their way off the pitch and Cooney-Cross and Maanum came on. Maanum scored the 4-0 minutes after coming on the pitch. Amazing work by Cooney-Cross, Foord and eventually goal scorer Maanum.
Winning the match by 4-0 is an amazing accomplishment by Arsenal. BK Häcken is a well-respected team that managed to reach the quarterfinals. To do that they won over Real Madrid and earned points against Chelsea and Paris FC.
Playing without Pressure
Seeing Arsenal so comfortable and relaxed hopefully gives everyone a positive look at the future. Ending in third place in the WSL two seasons in a row and missing out on the Women’s Champions League last season had a negative effect on the players. The summer signings really add something to the squad and the younger players seemed to have developed over the summer.
We are excited to see Arsenal in the Women’s Champions League Group Stage this season. They join: Bayern Münich, Chelsea, Olympique Lyon, FC Barcelona, Galatasaray, VfL Wolfsburg, Hammarby, Vålerenga Fotball Damer, Juventus, St. Pölten, AS Roma, FC Twente, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Celtic. The draw is on Friday the 27th of September at 13:00 CEST.
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