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Arsenal sealed a place in the Women’s Champions League knockout stages and took firm control in the race to go through as a group winner on Thursday night, beating Juventus 1-0 thanks to a dramatically late goal from super sub Lina Hurtig. It looked like the Sweden international would actually be the villain as she watched one header hit the sidenetting and sent another sailing over the bar of an empty goal. However, it was third time lucky for the former Juventus striker, as she pounced on an error at the back to tap in from close range and ensure the Gunners got the job done, while also eliminating her old team from the competition.
For most of the game, it looked like the home fans were not going to be rewarded for coming out to support their side on a bitterly cold evening in north London. The first half produced very few, if any, chances, and when that changed in the second half, it looked like the ball just didn’t want to go in for the hosts. Lia Walti’s remarkable pass sliced through the Juventus defence and found Caitlin Foord, but there was no one to convert her square pass. Katie McCabe and Mariona Caldentey combined for a beautiful move down the left, but Frida Maanum’s eventual shot was just wide. Foord was in the right place at the right time when a corner caused chaos in the box, but her well-directed effort was blocked on the line.
After soaking up all of that pressure, Juventus almost snatched it at the other end, too. Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar had been a spectator for most of the match and yet, when she had to be called upon to stop Arianna Caruso’s well-placed strike, she responded brilliantly to push it around the post. It was a save that proved to be all the more important as the clock ticked into the 90th minute and Hurtig finally found the goal the Gunners had been searching for, securing a 1-0 win which sees them join Chelsea, Real Madrid, Lyon, Bayern Munich and Manchester City in the quarter-finals, with two group stage matches to spare.
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Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Daphne van Domselaar (7/10):
Came up with the goods when forced into a particularly big save late on.
Emily Fox (5/10):
Has been in good form but had a few shaky moments here.
Leah Williamson (7/10):
Decisive in her defending and good in possession. After a bad patch of form, she’s looking more like her old self with each game.
Steph Catley (6/10):
An overall solid display as she continues to plug a gap in a less natural position.
Katie McCabe (6/10):
Delivered good set pieces and supported the attack well.
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Getty ImagesMidfield
Lia Walti (7/10):
Moved the ball around really nicely, alway recognising when to change the area of attack.
Kim Little (7/10):
Picked up good pockets of space and often looked the most likely to break down Juventus. Honoured her defensive duties well, too.
Frida Maanum (6/10):
Made some good runs into the box to get on the end of chances, though wasn’t always picked out.
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Getty ImagesAttack
Caitlin Foord (6/10):
Regularly got the wrong side of her marker to cause them problems and get in behind, but just lacked that end product.
Alessia Russo (6/10):
Showed good movement and held the ball up well. Didn’t get much service.
Mariona Caldentey (5/10):
Saw plenty of the ball, though couldn’t conjure up the magic to unlock the Juve defence.
Subs & Manager
Stina Blackstenius (7/10):
Made runs that added a new dimension to the Arsenal attack and came up with a lovely assist for Hurtig’s winner.
Beth Mead (5/10):
Had a good 25 minutes to make an impact, yet struggled to really get involved.
Lina Hurtig (7/10):
After missing two massive chances, broke the deadlock at the death.
Rosa Kafaji (N/A):
Only on for the very final stages.
Renee Slegers (7/10):
Gave her subs a good amount of time to change the game and they did in the end, with Arsenal growing into the affair as it went on. That two of those from the bench combined for the winner said it all.
