Arsenal fought hard to earn a 1-0 victory over Juventus, sending the Italian team out of the Women’s Champions League while ensuring their own progress to the knockout stages with two games to spare.
The result also means all three English teams—Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City—will be in the quarter-finals of this year's tournament.
The game was a far cry from Arsenal's dominant 4-0 win over Juventus just a week ago. This time, they struggled to find their rhythm, with Juventus pushing them harder than expected.
Caitlin Foord had a great chance early on, but Juventus goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin—who used to play for Arsenal—made an amazing save to deny her. Despite several chances, including a couple of headers from Lina Hurtig, who had joined the game as a substitute, Arsenal couldn’t get the ball in the net. Hurtig missed two clear opportunities, sending the ball wide both times.
But in the final minutes of the match, Arsenal finally broke the deadlock. Stina Blackstenius sent in a cross that Juventus defender Martina Lenzini missed, and Hurtig was quick to capitalize, scoring the only goal of the match in the 89th minute. The goal, although scrappy, secured the win and Arsenal’s place in the knockout rounds.
Arsenal’s win also means they will move on from Group C alongside Bayern Munich, with two games still to play.
Coach Renee Slegers Pleased with Squad's Depth
Arsenal’s interim head coach, Renee Slegers, spoke about the importance of the victory.
“I’m super happy with the result. We’ve had a tough stretch of games in both the WSL and Champions League, and this was the final match in this block. I’m really pleased with how things went.”
Slegers also praised the impact of the substitutes, who have scored three of Arsenal’s last five goals in the Champions League and four of the last eight overall.
"We have a squad with a lot of depth. We know we have starters, and we know we have finishers. It’s been clear in many games that the players coming on have decided the match," she said.
This win is a huge step for Arsenal as they look to make a deep run in the competition.
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