**Real Madrid will bring a healthy 2-0 advantage to Emirates Stadium next week after defeating Arsenal in the opening leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter finals.**
It was not to be for the Gunners under the lights of Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano as Real Madrid’s transitional brilliance flattened the London side.
Madrid’s record-breaking rainy March weather did the pitch no favours, as the ball tried to swim through an onslaught of bog and mud. With the men’s international break leaving the Bernabéu dead and empty, it begs the question of why on earth the club refuse to stage a Champions League quarter final on the main stadium turf.
The conditions played against the Gunners, failing to string together their usual football style in order to break the press of Las Blancas. Linda Caicedo lit the stage up on the counter attack, before Athenea came off the bench to solidify the victory for the hosts.
Arsenal will have plenty of work to do if they are to keep their European hopes alive as they return to Emirates Stadium next week.
The Lineups
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**ARS:** Zinsberger; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe; Little, Cooney-Cross, Russo; Mariona, Mead, Blackstenius
**RMA:** Misa; Sheila Garcia, Lakrar, Mendez, Carmona; Toletti, Leupolz, Angeldahl; Caicedo, Weir; Brunn
The Action
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The first chance of the game came in the 18th minute as Alessia Russo put Stina Blackstenius through with a visionary ball. The first time strike from the Swedish forward looked promising, but a stretching save from Misa was enough to deny the Gunners of the opener.CA fast break saw Signe Brunn send a searching ball through the Gunners defence in search of Linda Caicedo. Leah Williamson looked certain to intervene, but her first touch faltered as the ball slid under her boot. A player as good as Caicedo can’t be awarded a chance like that, and the Colombian forward slotted home the opener past the hands of Manuela Zinsberger.
Beth Mead was desperate to bring terms back level before half time as Mariona Caldentey flicked the ball in her direction at the top of the box. A promising strike was well-hit, but flew just left of the intended target.
Renée Slegers tried her luck with a pair of half time substitutions, bringing on Chloe Kelly and Caitlin Foord to replace Mead and Blackstenius.
The away fans held their breath inside of Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano as Caicedo launched forward on another counter-attacking run. One too many touches from the forward allowed Emily Fox to track her run, intervening at the very last moment.
Arsenal continued to look shaky at the back as Brunn slid a promising ball across the face of goal and toward Caicedo. Fox was there to intervene, before captain Kim Little cleared the play away from danger.
The Gunners were pushing for the equaliser as Leah Williamson and Caitlin Foord linked up in the right channel to find Alessia Russo in the centre of midfield. A clever outside of the boot flick from the striker saw Kelly stream forward, only to be down on her feet and appealing for a penalty. Referee Frida Klarlund waved off the appeal and Arsenal remained to be searching for the equaliser.
Another weak defensive play from the Gunners allowed Real Madrid to double their advantage as Athenea dribbed goalwards from her place in the left channel. Both Williamson and Fox had their feet caught under them as the Madrid defender was awarded a prime chance to shoot from distance. Slotting her strike into the bottom corner, Athenea gave her side a healthy advantage heading into the second leg.
Arsenal Player Ratings (4-3-3)
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**Manuela Zinsberger – 5/10 –**Arsenal fans will be kicking themselves wondering what could’ve been with Daphne van Domselaar.
**Emily Fox – 6/10 –** A vibrant battle down Arsenal’s right side as Fox went head-to-head with Linda Caicedo. The American was far too often on the losing side of the showdown.
**Leah Williamson – 5/10 –** A costly mistake saw the Gunners concede early as Williamson let the ball squirm through under her foot. A forgettable performance from the defender.
**Steph Catley – 6/10 –** Some strong challenges made her performance slightly better than Williamson’s.
**Katie McCabe – 6/10 –** The better of Arsenal’s defenders, but not by a huge margin. Set-piece deliveries were not at her usual best.
**Kyra Cooney-Cross – 6/10 –** Struggled in the high-transition moments and the surface stopped her from playing the passes she is known so famously for.
**Kim Little – 7/10 –** Arsenal’s best player on the night, but the bar wasn’t high. The boggy pitch actually helped to give Little the advantage over the other midfielders. Did the defensive work well and controlled the possession when called upon.
**Alessia Russo – 5/10 –** The surface didn’t help Russo’s hold up style at all, and you could certainly tell. Struggled in the midfield during the first half but managed to make a slightly improved account of herself when she was moved back to the 9.
**Mariona Caldentey – 5/10 –** The former Barcelona star would have been hoping to make a far greater impact against her old foes, but she struggled to work her magic.
**Beth Mead – 4/10 –** Struggled to make any impact. Her one gold star came from some tenacious defensive efforts in order to drop back and help Fox.
**Stina Blackstenius – 2/10 –** Anonymous.
**Caitlin Foord (46′ for Mead) – 6/10 –** Provided the Gunners with some dribbling speed but refused to play the early ball far too many times, resulting in the wasting of prime attacking motions.
**Chloe Kelly (46′ for Blackstenius) – 7/10 –** Provided much more than Mead did in the opening half. Kelly looked lively, switching the channels and inverting into midfield in order to aid Arsenal going forward.
**Lia Wälti (67′ for Cooney-Cross) – 6/10 –** No better than Cooney-Cross was, her impact was minimal.
**Lina Hurtig (84′ for Russo)**
**Frida Maanum (84′ for Mariona)**