Arsenal enjoy their Lisbon return as Mead and Russo see off Benfica in WCL | OneFootball

Arsenal’s midfielder Mariona Caldentey said “almost everything” needs to be better after a laboured defeat of Benfica secured the holders’ first win of the Champions League campaign.

Beth Mead sent the ball crawling over the line in the second half after a scramble in the box and Alessia Russo killed off the game with their second in Portugal. It was not pretty in the Estádio da Luz, but it was enough, just, with Arsenal’s lack of cutting edge remaining a major concern.

“Really happy because we have won. It’s not easy to come here after losing the first game, so it was really important for us. At the same time, we need to be better,” Caldentey told Disney+. Asked what they need to be better at she said: “Almost everything. We need to be more consistent ­defensively and we have so much quality up front that we should score more goals.

“It’s not one or two players, it’s all of us. Football is about momentum and sometimes it’s hard to change that dynamic.”

The return to the city of their heroic underdog triumph over Barcelona in the Champions League final in May, this time in Benfica’s home instead of Sporting CP’s José Alvalade Stadium, was shrouded in far less optimism this time round.

Then, Arsenal fans had travelled with hopes tempered, given the scale of the task, but spirits high, after a stellar run to their second final. This time, the side that arrived in Lisbon was a more beleaguered one after a disappointing start to a season full of promise.

The Gunners have dropped seven points in their opening six WSL games and went four games without a win, including a 2-1 loss in their ­Champions League opener against Lyonnes, before Sunday’s less than convincing 1-0 win over Brighton halted that frustrating run.

There were several changes to the team that earned the win on Sunday, including Lotte Wubben-Moy coming in for the 19-year-old centre-back Katie Reid, who has a groin injury.

In the first half, the story was a familiar one, Arsenal dominated possession, accruing almost 70%, but failed to make that count, a cutting edge in the final third mysteriously missing with Benfica matching them with five shots and bettering them two on target to Arsenal’s none.

It would take a bit of chaos in Benfica’s area to give Arsenal the lead after the break, Caldentey’s cross towards Mead in the middle pinballed off Beatriz Cameirão before Diana Gomes and Mead got touches in with the latter doing enough to send it rolling slowly over the line.

That slow roll was a reflection of the second half, the play lacking urgency and directness. The exit of Emily Fox and Steph Catley with ­different injury concerns only added to Arsenal’s woes.

The longer the game wore on with the teams separated by one goal the livelier the home side looked, ­sensing they could take something from the game, but Arsenal got a second to see out the final minutes under less pressure, Russo turning in from Chloe Kelly’s low free-kick – their second shot on target.

Arsenal were relieved, although they have some work to do, and Benfica were buoyed up by their performance.

“The result is not positive, it’s a loss, but the performance was great,” said their manager, Ivan Baptista, speaking to Disney+. “The result was open until the 90th minute, not everyone can do that against Arsenal.”

Header image: [Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images]