UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) action was underway once again this evening as Arsenal hosted Bayern Munich.
Looking to bounce back from October’s 5-2 defeat against the Frauen-Bundesliga side, Renée Slegers’ Gunners took to the stage with hunger, and earned themselves a huge three points from a tight competition on home turf.
Slegers introduced usual impact substitute Stina Blackstenius to the Arsenal starting eleven, whilst Frida Maanum came off the bench.
The Lineups
ARS: van Domselaar; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe; Cooney-Cross, Little; Mariona, Foord, Blackstenius, Russo
BAY: Mahmutović; Gwinn, Viggósdóttir, Eriksson, Hansen; Zadrazil, Stanway; Bühl, Damjanović, Dallmann; Harder
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The Action
Bayern were quick out the gates to progress into the final third, but Arsenal soon worked their own way forward to threaten their visitors.
The German side would have to defend rigorously against the hosts, but the stellar delivery of a corner by Kyra Cooney-Cross on the left would see the scoring opened early for the Gunners, in just the sixth minute. Caitlin Foord went for the header, but the set-piece took a deflection off Bayern centre-back Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir and was beyond the reach of Ena Mahmutović.
With the home support in strong voice at a sold-out Meadow Park, Slegers’ side continued to test Alexander Straus’ Munich outfit. Blackstenius would try to double the home side’s advantage following the 20 minute mark after quick feet led her to fire a shot wide of the woodwork from the edge of the box.
Bayern soon countered, but a strong defensive header by Steph Catley saw Klara Bühl’s promising strike become futile.
Arsenal’s back four often made light work of pressing Straus’ side back into their defensive half, but Daphne van Domselaar was called into action after 35 minutes of play to deny another attempt from Bühl. The resulting corner raised the heart rates of the home faithful, but an eventual clearance saw the Gunners maintain their lead.
A burst of energy, however, brought the German giants level as the half-time whistle drew near. A superb set-piece picked out Georgia Stanway at the far post, before it fell to Magdalena Eriksson and was tapped over the goal line.
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Arsenal came agonisingly close to restoring their lead in the 41st minute thanks to a sublime cross from Foord, but with no red shirt to pounce, the loose ball was eventually sent away by the Bayern defence.
Mariona emerged from the interval raring to go, finding Katie McCabe to power through an attempt from the left of the box. The shot was was ultimately stopped by the head of captain Viggósdóttir, and at the other end of the field, Giulia Gwinn posed a threat on the right flank, and van Domselaar had to be quick off her line to gather.
An Arsenal effort looked to be on the horizon as Blackstenius weaved her way into the box, but the striker was brought down and her spell in possession cut short.
Eriksson was at the face of goal again just moments later to earn her brace and send home a stunning long-range assist by Gwinn, putting Bayern ahead for the first time of the occasion.
It would not be long before the Gunners found their 59th minute equaliser thanks to an in-form Alessia Russo. McCabe’s excellent corner delivery for another set-piece induced goal landed with an almost unmarked Russo at the back post, and the No. 23 made no mistake in seeing it through.
A close contest persisted, the deadlock finally broken when Mariona stepped up to the spot. Arsenal were awarded a penalty after a Bayern handball, and the Spanish star slotted it home to restore their lead in the 87th minute.
Bayern were unable to score again within the five minutes of added time, and Arsenal edged out the European guests to take themselves to the top of the group.
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Arsenal Player Ratings
Daphne van Domselaar – 7/10 – The goalkeeper performed well under pressure, unlucky to concede from a corner in the buildup to the break and making several good saves despite having a relatively quiet run up until then.
Emily Fox – 7/10 – Uncharacteristically, the world class right-back was slightly lacking her usual resilience and drive up the pitch. Still defensively sound, it was not a negative but not an exceptional performance for Fox.
Leah Williamson – 8/10 –Williamson’s defensive efforts were key for Arsenal. The centre-back read tonight’s game exceptionally well, nullifying some solid attempts from Bayern.
Steph Catley – 8/10 – The centre-back paring of Catley and Williamson is boding well so far for the Gunners. Catley’s cohesion with her defensive counterparts continues to flourish, and the Australian’s strong left-footedness serves to boost Slegers’ fast style of football.
Katie McCabe – 9/10 – Dominating the left-hand side, McCabe defended brilliantly, but could also be found driving toward the midfield in the hopes of catalysing an Arsenal attack.
Kyra Cooney-Cross – 8/10 – The midfielder’s set piece delivery is impressive beyond her years, and her drive to attack grows stronger by the game. Cooney-Cross earned her starting spot tonight, and made good use of it.
Kim Little – 7/10 – The Arsenal captain worked tirelessly to combat Bayern’s central threat. A composed, technically impressive presence in a colossal game for her side. Substituted off in the 60th minute.
Mariona Caldentey – 7/10 – Kept relatively quiet by the opposition during the opening half, Mariona came into her own during the second. Her execution of a spot kick provided the Gunners with a deserved lead to see out the night.
Caitlin Foord – 8/10 – The forward’s drive and quick-thinking both in and out of possession adds great value to Arsenal’s attacking prowess. She is calm and collected with the ball at her feet, but could have been more clinical in the second half.
Stina Blackstenius – 6/10 – Not a poor performance by definition, but an unremarkable one. Substituted off in the 60th minute.
Alessia Russo – 9/10 – Playing in a front two with Blackstenius, Russo was relentless not only in her ambition toward the box but in battling for the ball elsewhere, deserving to have her name on the scoresheet once again.
Substitutes
Frida Maanum – 7/10 – Came on for Little in the 60th minute. Combines really well with the forwards when playing through the midfield.
Beth Mead – 7/10 – Came on for Blackstenius in the 60th minute. Demonstrated real commitment beyond just the final third, making some solid defensive contributions, but did not have the greatest impact.
Lina Hurtig – 7/10 – Came on for Foord in the 77th minute. Did not have a huge amount of time to make her mark, but took to the stage with confidence and maturity, looking threatening during injury time.
Rosa Kafaji – N/A – Came on in the dying minutes before added time, not enough minutes to make a fair judgement.
Lotte Wubben-Moy – N/A – Came on in the dying minutes before added time, not enough minutes to make a fair judgement.
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The Halfway Line Player of the Match: Katie McCabe
McCabe’s performance was a considerable improvement upon the one she put in against Liverpool in the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) on Sunday. The defender helped to produce attacking motions not only through her renowned set pieces delivery, but also served as a valiant left-back defensively, playing excellently for Arsenal and displaying some really good decision making overall.