Mariona Caldentey’s 93rd-minute penalty gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over HB Køge in their Women’s Champions League league phase opener at Meadow Park, but the relief that greeted the goal could not disguise the concerns surrounding Renée Slegers’ side.
The penalty arrived after Yukina Sakabe brought down Selina Cerci in injury time, and Caldentey converted from the spot. The home fans in the North Bank bounced behind the goal as the ball hit the net, yet Slegers’ puffed cheeks at the full-time whistle told the fuller story of a night when Arsenal’s profligacy in front of goal reached almost comic proportions.
Arsenal made eight changes to the team that had salvaged a point against Manchester United deep into added time on Saturday, with only Leah Williamson, Steph Catley and Stina Blackstenius retaining their places. The hope was that the game against the Danish side would break the mental block several players seem to be suffering in front of goal. Køge, the A Liga leaders, had other ideas.
The visitors’ goalkeeper Alberte Vingum, 21, was in inspired form, saving from Chloe Kelly early on and then denying Frida Maanum two minutes later. Arsenal thought they had broken through in the 13th minute when Kelly volleyed in Kyra Cooney-Cross’s flick, but the video assistant referee intervened to rule the goal out for an offside Blackstenius, who had strayed into Vingum’s line of sight.
Arsenal’s stuttering start to the season was reflected in the fact that they had taken just five points from their first three WSL games, after consecutive draws against Crystal Palace and Manchester United. Køge, by contrast, had built real momentum in Europe, beating Riga 4-1 and Hearts 2-1 in the second round of qualifying before a 2-1 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven sealed their place in the league phase.
Køge’s resilience was evident in the buoyant celebrations of their coaching staff at half-time. Manager Kristian Mørch Rasmussen bellowed “good job in here” before tripping on a railing and receiving a chorus of boos from the home fans behind the opposition dugout. He walked across the pitch towards the dressing room with a smile on his face and a finger to his lips, shushing the crowd.
Blackstenius made way for Alessia Russo at the break, and Caldentey and new recruit Lisa Baum came on just before the hour mark. Baum’s bursting run looked promising as she escaped her marker, but a brilliant recovery tackle stopped the forward. The longer the game went without an Arsenal goal, the greater the anxiety of the fans packed into Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park.
The statistics told their own story: Arsenal had 21 attempts to Køge’s four, and two on target to one. But Køge’s substitutes wildly celebrated every effort that was placed high, wide or cut out, and it took a rare mistake from Sakabe to finally give Arsenal the chance to win it. Caldentey made no mistake from the spot.
Relief filled the stands, but with Chelsea up next, nerves about another wasteful season will not settle. Arsenal remain a work in progress, and the questions that surrounded them before this game remain largely unanswered.
Elsewhere in the league phase, Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to draw 1-1 at Real Madrid. Felicia Schröder gave the Spanish club the lead after just 96 seconds, her sixth goal in five appearances since her June transfer from BK Häcken, before Sakina Karchaoui equalised from the penalty spot with 16 minutes left. Benfica beat Juventus 2-1 at Allianz Stadium, with Marit Bratberg Lund scoring twice, once from the spot, and Alba Redondo grabbing a late consolation for the hosts. Inter beat BK Häcken 1-0 at U-Power Stadium thanks to Haley Bugeja’s fifth-minute winner; Häcken’s goalkeeper Jennifer Falk was sent off in the 90th minute for a trip.