Arsenal bounce back with huge win over Real Madrid | OneFootball

Arsenal bounce back from three games without a win to beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Women’s Champions League at Meadow Park.

Two second-half goals from Alessia Russo cancelled out Caroline Weir’s opener to give Arsenal their second win so far in the competition.

A loss to Bayern Munich and two draws with Tottenham and Chelsea saw Arsenal struggling in both the Women’s Super League and the UWCL, but a big win under the lights at home has Renee Slegers’ side back to winning ways.

Arsenal posed a dramatic second-leg comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 last time the sides met, but this time Arsenal were much better from the start. In fact, they should have been ahead early when Frida Maanum headed just wide from four yards out six minutes in.

An Olivia Smith effort from just outside the area was another chance for Arsenal in an opening 15 minutes that they dominated; however, much like recent weeks they still failed to find the back of the net.

Real Madrid could not stop Arsenal creating opportunities in the first half, with quite possibly the biggest chance falling to Russo, who, despite only having the goalkeeper to beat, saw her effort saved by Misa Rodriguez.

But after all of Arsenal’s dominance, it would be Madrid who would strike first through a fantastic finish from Weir two minutes before half-time. A free-kick looked to be headed clear by Lotte Wubben-Moy, but it fell straight towards the Scotland international, who smashed the ball past Daphne van Domselaar.

After offering very little in the first half, Weir’s goal seemed to lift a Real Madrid side that had been devoid of creativity early on. Straight after the break, the Spanish side almost had a second as Linda Caicedo’s firece effort hit the side netting.

However, Russo halted any chance of Real Madrid running away with it through an outstanding looping header seven minutes into the second half. A cross from Chloe Kelly on the right found her Lionesses teammate in the centre of the box, and this time she made no mistake.

Russo’s goal was the beginning of a barrage of pressure from Renee Slegers’ side that saw two big chances for Smith before Russo would have the ball in the back of the net again. Another Lionesses connection for Arsenal broke down the Madrid defence. This time Beth Mead was the provider, swinging in a corner onto Russo’s head to power into the bottom corner.

The Lionesses striker had multiple opportunities late on to complete her hat-trick, but two big saves from Rodriguez kept Real Madrid in it.

Despite their keepers heroics, the Spanish side’s front line failed to break down a resilient Arsenal defence that never looked like giving up their well-earned lead. The most important thing for Slegers’ team was getting the three points and keeping their UWCL hopes alive which they managed to do.