**Arsenal** put one foot in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League with a 4-0 away victory over **OH Leuven** in the first leg of the play-off round.
In a repeat of their final fixture of the league phase, the holders took masterful charge of the tie with commanding victory to all but assure passage.
The damage to Arsenal had come in losing two of their first three European matches this season - at home against Lyon and away at Bayern Munich - which left them outside the top four automatic qualification spots.
In Belgium, with Katie McCabe starting, though they showed a determination not to allow the defence of their title to slip from their grasp, a double from Frida Maanum and a goal each from Olivia Smith and Alessia Russo ensured the second leg would largely be a formality.
They took the lead after 22 minutes. Caitlin Foord drove down the right and cut inside, beating two defenders and teeing up Maanum who headed in.
That settled the visitors and soon they had doubled their advantage.
Chloe Kelly, enjoying similar success down the right flank, found space to move the ball inside and into Smith, who fired in for 2-0.
The third arrived early in the second half. Foord did a fine job of holding off Saar Janssen, squaring the ball for Maanum, who tapped in her second goal of the game.
Arsenal's fourth came 18 minutes from time and owed to a goalkeeping error.
Lowiese Seynhaeve got hands to Smith's cross but could only push the ball into the path of Russo, who volleyed on with her right foot.
Caroline Weir celebrated being named the new Scotland captain by helping **Real Madrid** take a 3-2 lead over Paris in the first leg of their Women's Champions League play-off round.
The 115-times capped midfielder drew the Spanish side level six minutes before the break, reacting quickest after Sara Dabritz saw her effort rebound off a post.
Having seen Paris take a 10th-minute lead through Kaja Korosec, who volleyed into the roof of the net after meeting Maelle Garbino's corner at the far post, Athenea then put Real in front on the stroke of half-time with a fine finish into the far corner after a lovely run from Linda Caicedo.
Named player of the match, Caicedo extended Real's lead seven minutes from time, slotting past Mylene Chavas after running on to goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez's long pass, before substitute Maeline Mendy gave Paris some hope by reducing the deficit with a minute left.
The second leg takes place in Madrid next Wednesday, with league phase winners Barcelona awaiting the winners in the quarter-finals.