Jonathan Liew's match report
We’ll have a match report up here soon – for now, thanks a lot for reading, and see you again before long!
Wolfsburg celebrate in a bouncing, joyous circle. So they should – it was a superb performance, relentless from the off, and they only really gave Arsenal those two headers against the woodwork soon after the second goal. Arsenal did improve after the break, but were still second best. Nonetheless, they should be happy with their return to this stage when the disappointment dies down.
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Full-time: Wolfsburg 2-0 Arsenal (3-1 agg)
No arguments, really, for Arsenal – they were beaten by a goal in each half and, critically, by a better side. Wolfsburg will face Barcelona and, on this evidence, that will be one heck of a tie.
90+2 min: We’re into four added minutes and you’d have to say Arsenal’s race is run.
90 min: No penalty. There seemed to be some contact, even if Schult didn’t really offer much of a challenge. On reflection I’ve seen them given, seen them not.
89 min: Nobbs plays Parris through ... she nicks it past Schult ... and goes down! Looks a clear penalty and the players’ reaction suggests as much, but nothing is given. We’ll see a VAR check.
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88 min: Another corner for Arsenal .. another glimmer? Catley’s delivery is good this time but Wolfsburg scramble clear. Nobbs tries a speculative shot from the loose ball but the impressive Schult saves easily.
86 min: Wolfsburg can run down the clock with another sub, and why not? Oberforf off, Blomqvist on.
83 min: Little has a shot charged down, and then Arsenal win a dangerous free-kick on the left, but they really need to score from this to keep the final few minutes lively. Schult catches with ease, and it’s a position Arsenal could not afford to squander.
81 min: Williamson, who has recovered consummately from her own goal, does well to stop Pajor latching onto Roord’s pass. Then Oberdorf makes Zinsberger dive to save from range.
80 min: There are 11,293 fans inside the stadium – a good showing.
79 min: You sense that was Arsenal’s chance to make it interesting. Wolfsburg bring on Pajor to replace Jonsdottir, who has been outstanding on the left – rangy, ambitious, quick, strong, clever, purposeful.
75 min: And they hit the woodwork twice! Ohhhh, that should have been a lifeline. Miedema thuds the first header against the bar and then Williamson, craning to make the second, forces a quite stupendous stop from Schult, who somehow paws it onto her post! When it’s not your night ...
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74 min: It’s very hard to see how Arsenal come back now, though Maritz wins a corner immediately.
Goal! Wolfsburg 2-0 Arsenal (Williamson 73, og) 3-1 agg
That might be that. Jonsdottir receives possession out on the left and, direct as ever, makes for the line. Williamson stretches out to intercept her driven, dangerous cross and it squirms below Zinsberger and in. Heartbreak.
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72 min: Huth robs Little and looks likely to get a shot off but never quite manages to, instead ferrying the ball along the edge of the box. But then ...
71 min: Parris comes on for McCabe, and we’ll see Nobbs for Maanum too. Eidevall is going for it, as he has to.
70 min: Jonsdottir goes on a ru down the left but it crowded out. Arsenal are handling that threat better in this half, and Wolfsburg aren’t *quite* as aggressive. At the other end, Foord wastes a decent position on the counter.
68 min: An Arsenal corner from the left is met by Wubben-Moy at the far post, but her header is blocked by Hendrich. And now they have another corner on that side ... which Schult claims easily this time. Still, it remains better.
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65 min: The encouragement for Arsenal here is that Wolfsburg haven’t *quite* looked like scoring a second recently, while their own speed has definitely ramped up a bit. This game is still on. It’s tight.
62 min: After that sort-of flurry, Wolfsburg get their feet on the ball. Huth has a shot charged down.
60 min: Much better from Arsenal as Maritz tries a chip from an angle and Schult fumbles uncertainly. It is their best spell of the game.
57 min: And now she rolls a defender, also at an angle near the line, but is thwarted smartly before she can turn and shoot.
56 min: Miedema pursues a bouncing ball towards the byline, quite near goal, but it’s as much as she can do to keep it in. She lashes well over.
54 min: Wassmuth takes aim from a decent position 22 yards out but blazes high and wide. Maybe Wolfsburg will get more chances on the break as Arsenal push.
53 min: Maritz tries to surge into the box but barges Janssen and won’t get away with that.
51 min: Arsenal just need to gather the kind of momentum that might create a clear chance. No sign of that yet.
47 min: Wolfsburg pick up where they left off, causing a little havoc down the right, but Arsenal get away with it.
Peeeep! Second half underway
Big, big half for Arsenal.
An Arsenal half-time change: Foord on for the quiet Heath.
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Half-time: Wolfsburg 1-0 Arsenal (2-1 agg)
The blessing for Arsenal is that they’re only one down. That half was almost entirely one-way traffic and they need to up the tempo significantly if they are to stay in the competition.
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45+3 min: A blow for Wolfsburg, as Lattwein has gone down and, despite treatment, will be replaced by Popp. Looks like a groin injury.
45 min: We’ll have two added minutes. Arsenal could do with getting back inside.
43 min: You do sense there is some space for Arsenal in front of Wolfsburg’s back four, if they can ever get into it. Miedema finds some and passes to McCabe, whose searching cross towards Blackstenius meets an uncertain response from Schult. Doesn’t matter in the end, as the flag is up.
41 min: And now Wubben-Moy times her tackle perfectly – and she had to – as the speedy Huth tries to round her in the box.
39 min: Jonsdottir has a cross parried by Zinsberger and Oberdorf surges forward to see a shot blocked. Wolfsburg just haven’t stopped, the tempo has been superb.
38 min: Blackstenius gets into a good position for Arsenal, who are at least finding one or two areas now even if it isn’t much, but can’t get her shot away.
36 min: Big save from Zinsberger! Wolfsberg rip through Arsenal but the keeper saves a low angled drive with her right leg and keeps their foothold in the tie.
35 min: Huth plays Roord in but she’s tackled just as she looks to shoot. Immediately, Zinsberger has to claw behind when Jonsdottir mishits a cross towards goal. Another flag kick! It’s defended quite chaotically, not for the first time, but ends with a harmless Wilms shot.
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33 min: A lovely bit of skill from Little allows her to find space and pass to Blackstenius, and Arsenal fleetingly have a bit going for them in attack, but the chance evaporates. They do come again, and Catley forces Schult into a fairly comfortable save from range. A bit more encouraging, though.
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32 min: And now a right-sided corner. This is non-stop pressure and the only blessing for Arsenal is that they aren’t behind by more. Zinsberger punches this one out with some conviction.
29 min: A left-sided corner is dealt with by the head of Miedema, who has not had a sniff in the other box. When the ball comes back in, Roord sees a shot charged down and appeals fruitlessly for handball; Jonsdottir then fires waywardly.
27 min: While Arsenal have tightened up a bit, they are still hemmed in and can’t really get anything going at the other end. They’ve not been allowed to string anything together at all.
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24 min: A quieter spell. Alan Kirkup writes – “Excellent peace sign in the centre circle. Maybe more teams should be doing that.”
Yes, very good point, it’s a nice touch.
20 min: That check took almost two minutes, but no goal. Seeing the incident again, I’m not sure why – the offence wasn’t totally blatant, but she was definitely offside.
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18 min: It’s being VAR checked ...
17 min: A slick home move sends Oberdorf in on the right, but her touch is just too heavy and Zinsberger gathers. Arsenal are being destroyed down the wings, and soon enough have to concede another corner after a Huth delivery is half-defended. Rauch puts it across and ... well ... when the second ball comes in Wassmuth sticks it past the keeper, but she’s flagged just offside.
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15 min: But now they have a corner after Wilms clears behind in slightly unorthodox fashion when under little pressure. Can they make their first real attack count? Catley takes it from the right – it’s low and clever towards Miedema, but rebounds behind for a goal kick.
13 min: Now Rauch gets to whip a free-kick across from that right side. Zinsberger punches just about well enough, and Wilms shanks wide from the edge of the box. Arsenal are yet to show a single thing.
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12 min: Now Jonsdottir streaks down the left and centres through everyone, and Arsenal need to get a grip here quickly.
Goal! Wolfsburg 1-0 Arsenal (Roord 9) 2-1 agg
A nightmare start for Arsenal, and it’s been coming already really. Rauch whips in a corner from the right, it bobbles around with nobody able to clear, and Roord adjusts nicely to dab home against her old teammates from inside the six-yard box!
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8 min: So far, Wolfsburg very much do not suck – they have started like a train.
7 min: Peter Oh observes – “I can’t recall ever seeing a hoover (vacuum cleaner here in the U-S-A! U-S-A!! U-S-A!!!) on a football pitch but I have seen plenty of other stuff that sucks.”
6 min: The hosts, who like Arsenal have named an attacking side, are certainly bright early on. Jill Roord, facing her old club, has been bright and involved. And then – Zinsberger spills a cross from the right and is mightily lucky that, when it rebounds off Jonsdottir, it drops just wide.
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4 min: Wolfsburg look the warmer once play recommences, but Heath chases back very well to block a cross from the advancing Wilms.
3 min: And we have a delay almost as soon as we’ve begun – Maanum is down with an injury for Arsenal and needs treatment. The players must be pretty cold with all this waiting. Hopefully she is OK, it seems as if she will be.
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Peeeeeep! Off we finally go
That was a long wait and quite extraordinary. When did you last see a hoover on a football pitch? There’s a question for you would-be emailers. The hosts get us started, shooting left to right on your telly, or in your mind’s eye.
We haven’t kicked off yet – there’s so much green and white confetti in the goalmouths that a few poor souls are being deployed to hoover it all up before things can get going.
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Aaaand now the teams are out – lining up to the strains of the Women’s Champions League anthem. Which means we are very soon to be starting ...
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It’s a noisy, expectant atmosphere in Wolfsburg – flags flying, plenty of home green, and certainly a decent crowd.
Charles Antaki looks on the bright side:
“I suppose that the only positive thing, from Arsenal’s point of view, of meeting Barcelona in the next round (if that happens) is that if they manage to somehow thrash them (if that happens) then Vivianne Miedema might be more inclined to stay.… There’s a couple of ifs in that equation, and a larger number of buts lurking in the wings.”
Here, in case you missed it, is Jonathan Liew’s match preview:
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Starting lineups
Wolfsburg: Schult, Wilms, Hendrich, Janssen, Rauch, Roord, Lattwein, Oberdorf, Huth, Jonsdottir, Wassmuth.
Arsenal: Zinsberger, Wubben-Moy, Williamson, Catley, Maritz, Little, Miedema, Maanum, McCabe, Heath, Blackstenius.
Hello!
It’s a huge night for Arsenal Women – they’re all square in the last eight of the Champions League after the first leg ended one apiece, and it’s night on impossible to sense which way this one will swing.
What we do know is that, should Jonas Eidevall’s team overcome Wolfsburg, they will reach the semi-finals for the first time in nine years. Another thing we know is that, should they win, they will have to gigantic hurdle of Barcelona to overcome. What an occasion that would be! But first they need to do it tonight, in front of a crowd expected to number over 10,000, and they might need all the resilience they showed last week at the Emirates.
Back then, Lotte Wubben-Moy struck towards the end and meant they don’t have to claw back a deficit in Germany tonight. They’d settle for more late heroics, but wouldn’t mind getting started slightly sooner this time. Stay close, and we’ll see exactly what happens!
