After a tough season so far, the Gunners scraped a 1-0 win against Juventus on Thursday to bag a spot in the quarter finals of the Champions League, thanks to Lina Hurtig getting the ball in the back of the net in the 89th minute.
Renée Slegers’ side have won 6 out of their 7 games since she took over as interim head coach following the resignation of Jonas Eidevall last month, getting the team back on track after what was a disappointing first part of the season. With Van Domselaar in goal, Slegers continued the lineup with Emily Fox, Leah Williamson, Steph Catley and Katie McCabe as the back four. Lia Wälti and captain Kim Little were in the middle along with Mariona Caldentey, Frida Maanum, Caitlin Foord and Alessia Russo towards the front.
The first 20 minutes of the game saw not many chances being created for both teams, but as things began to heat up, both teams were putting in a good shift, but nothing came of any of it. 24 minutes in, Katie McCabe managed to cross from the left, before Mariona Caldentey lifted it over to Caitlin Foord, who went down under pressure in the 18-yard box, but the referee didn’t see enough to award a penalty.
The second half became more hopeful for the Gunners, as many players managed to shoot, despite nothing coming of them. Lia Wälti managed to find Caitlin Foord in space but again nothing was to come. The biggest shot came in from Leah Williamson, heading the ball over the bar straight from a corner.
Stina Blackstenius came onto the pitch in the 66th minute, replacing Frida Maanum. Blackstenius celebrated her 100th appearance for the Arsenal, with fans giving her the recognition she deserves.
Lina Hurtig also made way onto the pitch, after a long period away due to personal reasons; she replaced Alessia Russo. With just 10 minutes to go and the score still being 0-0, Hurtig took it upon herself to push for a goal, working excellently with the team. As time ticked on and just a few minutes to spare, both teams tried harder and harder to push for a goal, and Lina Hurtig did just that in the 89th minute, breaking the deadlock right before the end. This now puts Arsenal into the quarter finals of the group stages, with them sitting in 2nd place in their group.
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