Beth Mead fires Arsenal past Twente to book place in WCL knockout stage | OneFootball

Arsenal qualified for the Champions League knockout phase after a narrow but industrious victory at Meadow Park, with Beth Mead’s early finish enough to overcome Twente.

Arsenal are guaranteed to come inside the top 12 of the 18-team league phase and may still have a chance to reach the top four and go straight into the quarter-finals depending on results on Wednesday and if they can then win their last game in Belgium against Leuven next week.

“It’s super important [to qualify],” the Arsenal manager, Renée Slegers, said. “That’s of course the position we want to be in. We have the Leuven game next week which is very important to get three points and then get us as high up the table as possible.

“We should win today and we did. We had some moments in the box; we had about 15 shots and I think there were quite a few blocked shots and saves. They defended for their lives and they’ve made it hard for a lot of teams in the Champions League so far.”

Arsenal’s inconsistent form in the Champions League this season – two wins and two defeats – had placed extra importance on this penultimate matchday. They will have been well aware of the threats posed by the visitors, who earned a point off Chelsea in their opener. While Corina Dekker’s side have only secured two points in the competition, they boast a developing group of young players who have been catching the eye.

The Gunners came into this game on the back of a confidence-boosting win against Liverpool in the Women’s Super League. Slegers freshened things up with two changes as Victoria Pelova and Katie McCabe came in for Emily Fox and Frida Maanum.

Twente’s Corina Dekker, meanwhile, has opted to keep her squad stable in this competition, having made only one change across their four games to date. She did, however, make two on this occasion after alluding to fatigue in her squad before the winter break.

Arsenal made an energetic start as they looked to take the game to their opponents. While Twente were pressing high, attempting to challenge the hosts’ control of the ball, it was Slegers’s side who quickly gained a foothold in the game.

The signs of an opener were inevitable after Pelova saw a shot saved by Diede Lemey and Mead had an effort cleared off the line. They made their pressure count in the 10th minute when the England international bent a low shot into the far corner after strong buildup play.

Arsenal continued to apply the pressure as they looked to establish their lead but they had to be wary of the counterattacking threat of the visitors. Sophie Proost had their best opportunity of the half when she headed an Eva Oude Elberink delivery over at the far post.

One-nil is always a dangerous score and Twente looked to punish the hosts’ wastefulness. They had a chance immediately after the restart when Oude Elberink broke through the lines at pace. The Arsenal keeper Anneke Borbe, a spectator for much of the match, rushed out to claim bravely, picking up a knock to the face in the process.

Arsenal rang the changes and continued to apply pressure but the visitors held firm, helped by the woodwork that prevented Alessia Russo’s towering header from doubling the lead. They finished with a flurry of chances but could not make them count and had to settle for a narrow victory heading into their final game against OH Leuven, when a top-four place may be up for grabs.

Header image: [Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters]