Arsenal overturn first-leg deficit to reach Women´s Champions League group stage

Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League group stage after overcoming a first-leg deficit to beat Hacken 4-0 at Meadow Park.

The first leg in Sweden threw up a shock 1-0 defeat, but Jonas Eidevall’s side were up to the task, with Lia Walti and new signing Mariona Caldentey turning the scoreline on its head in the first half.

A brilliant strike from Beth Mead then ensured their progress, before substitute Frida Maanum added some more gloss to the scoreline late on.

The Gunners produced a much better performance in front of goal than in the reverse fixture. Arsenal may have had fewer shots on Thursday (14) and failed to convert any of their four big chances, but the emphatic scoreline is what matters most.

They join fellow Women’s Super League side Manchester City in the draw, with Gareth Taylor’s side cruising past Paris FC.

Their job was all but done after a crushing 5-0 win in the first leg, but Khadija Shaw’s double, following Chloe Kelly’s early opener, secured them an 8-0 aggregate win.

With another clean sheet under their belt in the competition, City have reached the group stage for the first time since 2020-21, when they fell to Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

Class of 2024/25: locked in

Meet the contenders #UWCL

— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) September 26, 2024

There was more despair in the French capital as Paris Saint-Germain, last season’s semi-finalists, suffered a shock defeat to Juventus.

PSG have reached at least the quarter-finalists in each of the last five seasons and were mainstays in the competition, but after suffering a 3-1 loss in Turin, their hopes of a comeback were soon squashed.

Sofia Cantore scored just two minutes in to set Juve on course for a 2-1 victory in the game, and a 5-2 aggregate scoreline, getting their name in the hat for the first time in two years.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid secured their place in the competition, as did Celtic, who will play in the Champions League group stage for the first time since it was introduced in 2020-21 after a 3-0 aggregate win over Vorskla Poltava.

And a special mention for Roma, who emphatically brushed aside Servette 7-2 in the second leg to secure a 10-3 aggregate victory.