Arsenal Fixtures: Dominating Win Over OH Leuven Sets Stage for Quarter-Final Clash

Arsenal Dominates OH Leuven 4-0 in Champions League Play-Off

Arsenal secured a commanding 4-0 victory over OH Leuven in Belgium, taking a significant step towards the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals. A brace from Frida Maanum, alongside goals from Olivia Smith and Alessia Russo, handed OH Leuven an almost insurmountable task ahead of next week’s second leg.

Match Highlights

Frida Maanum Double: The Arsenal midfielder found the net twice, ending a 12-game goalless run in the WSL and Champions League.
Olivia Smith Shines: Smith continued her impressive form, scoring her second goal in three days.
Alessia Russo Impact: Russo added a fourth goal from the bench, solidifying Arsenal’s lead.

The Gunners were quick to assert their dominance, taking a 2-0 lead within the first half hour, mirroring their performance in the league phase back in December. Maanum opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a well-placed header from a Caitlin Foord cross. Smith doubled the advantage with a clinical finish following a low cross from Chloe Kelly.

Second Half Surge

Arsenal continued their attacking momentum after the break. Maanum extended the lead in the 52nd minute, converting another assist from Foord. Substitute Alessia Russo then sealed the victory with a powerful strike in the 68th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error from Leuven goalkeeper Lowiese Seynhaeve.

Managerial Insights

Arsenal manager Renee Slegers expressed her satisfaction with the team’s performance: “The players executed everything exactly as I asked, and that is very rewarding as a coach. We expected Leuven to adopt a more defensive approach and we prepared accordingly.”

OH Leuven manager Arno van den Abbeel acknowledged the difference in quality: “Today we had to accept they’re a better team than us. Arsenal deserved to win – 4-0 is hard but that is the difference between us and them at the moment.”

Key Stats

Aggregate Score: Arsenal now leads the tie 7-0 on aggregate.
Kim Little Milestone: Arsenal captain Kim Little made her 400th appearance for the club.

What’s Next?

The second leg will be played at Meadow Park next Wednesday, February 18th, at 20:00 GMT. The winner of this tie will face Chelsea in the quarter-finals. You can find the latest Arsenal fixtures on the official club website.

Player Reactions

Frida Maanum shared her delight: “It felt really good. The team has been really good recently so it is quite easy to play with my team-mates at the moment. We are in a good flow.”

Kim Little added: “Sometimes, you don’t always get it right all throughout a season but we have learned from those moments. We have built on and off the pitch to try and drive changes.”