Arsenal blew a 2-1 lead and home advantage in their play-off with Ajax, to leave their UWCL hopes hanging in the balance going into the return leg in Amsterdam next week. Goals from Blackstenius and Little were cancelled out by a brace from Romeé Leuchter in a see-saw encounter at Meadow Park.
When Arsenal fans flock to Meadow Park, the normality is not just to witness Arsenal win, but to win by a considerable margin. Last Friday’s 4-0 dominating demolition job on Brighton being a case in point. Such luxuries are not afforded in the UWCL (as Man City have discovered to their pain for the last two seasons). Arsenal’s draw against Slavia Praha last season acted pretty much as a bye into the Group Stage, such was the disparity in quality. However, this is the exception, not the rule. By comparison, in that same round, Man City drew Real Madrid, and lost. This time around, the difficulty level has been cranked up, with Ajax, having deposed former European Champions Eintracht Frankfurt in the previous round, providing a sterner test, though a test this side desperately needs. Arsenal can play the lower order off the park in the WSL for fun. The real challenge, and proof of their progress under Jonas, is in these games. And on the night, Arsenal missed the mark.
Straight from the kick-off, Arsenal found themselves in the bizarre situation of not being in control. Ajax dominated the play, and Arsenal could barely get out of their own half. The step up in quality from Friday night’s procession looked to have caught everyone off guard. The passing machine failed, loose passes were being picked off, possession was unable to be sustained. Viv had come so deep to get the ball she was operating on the edge of her own box at times, leaving Stina isolated up front, unable to work with the long hopeful punts in her direction. Manu had already been called into action with a smart save with her feet before Ajax’s pressure told. A wonderful flowing move down the right ended with a low cross stabbed home at the near post by Leuchter, a lead fully warranted against an Arsenal side yet to awaken from their slumber. But awaken they did, with Mead having a free kick well saved, and Stina unable to convert the rebound. She would have better luck at a corner just minutes later. Rafa, who had a terrific game on the night, saw her header crash off the crossbar, and this time Stina made no mistake to level the game. The scare had lasted just 6 minutes.
Yet no momentum was gained from this. Instead of pushing on, the game reverted backwards, becoming cagy and tense, with both sides jabbing and feinting at each other, without showcasing any serious threat. Arsenal had a few more corners which came to nothing. Ajax came close nearer to the end of the half, with a stabbed effort straight at Manu, who also had to be alert to palm away an strong effort at her near post. The half time whistle came as a relief for Arsenal, a chance to reset, re-focus, and plan how they were going to get themselves out of this mess.
Whatever was said in the changing room clearly worked, as Arsenal were a completely different team at the start of the second half. They tore at Ajax with pace and ferocity, penning them in with their pressing, forcing turnovers and creating chances. A charge through the midfield from Leah led to Catley striking the upright with a fierce drive. Rafa then had a moment of magic, twisting away from one defender, dancing past another, and saw her own effort cannon back off the near post. Stina and Viv both had efforts that went close. This was all just within the first 10 minutes of the second half, and eventually the pressure told, with Mead being fouled in the box, and Captain Kim stepping up to slot the penalty home and give Arsenal a deserved lead.
Such were the quality and quantity of chances condensed within that opening spell, it hinted at an Arsenal storm that was set to blow Ajax away in the second half, creating a strong aggregate lead that their opponents would struggle to overturn in the second leg. Instead, the storm blew over, and with it, the chance to kill off the game. Arsenal’s intensity dropped, and the game reverted back to the midfield battle of the first half. McCabe and Foord came on for Stina and the ineffective Lina Hurtig, as Jonas opted for different striking options. Whilst some of Caitlin’s runs in behind threatened, her inability to hold the line would be her’s and the team’s undoing. A clear penalty shout when Kop wiped her out as she chased Catley’s pass was undone by an offside flag. And then, with less than 10 minutes to go, another offside call gave Ajax a set piece to build a rare foray forward. Arsenal were indignant that the free kick was taken from a too advanced position, but at this level, you cannot afford to switch off over perceived refereeing injustices. Ajax took advantage of the confusion as Arsenal never got their defensive shape correct in time, and Leuchter tapped home after a goalmouth scramble to tie the game at 2-2. There was still time for a late rally from Arsenal, desperately searching for a winner and a lead to take to the Netherlands. McCabe had a volley ruled out for offside, whilst Rafa saw a volley at a corner flash past the goal. But time was up.
Arsenal had missed their shot, paying the price of a poor first half and for surrendering the initiative in the second. The game at Amsterdam now stands upon a knife-edge, with both sides feeling they have a good chance of progressing in the next round. For Arsenal, it brings back memories of their exit last season, when they were only able to draw at home to Wolfsburg, before being comprehensively outplayed in their trip to Germany. Last season, they only managed two away victories in the UWCL (pre-qualification tournament aside): a 4-0 triumph against Slavia Praha in the play-off and a 5-1 win at bottom side Køge. Against opponents of decent calibre, they wilted. These are the games they have to win if they want to ascend to Europe’s high table. A lot of Arsenal’s planning this season now rides on their trip to Amsterdam. With the promise of UWCL ties at Emirates Stadium should they progress, as Arsenal look to build upon the success of Euro 2022, to slip up now will be a source of major embarrassment, and will see them drop into the Conti Cup group stages instead, with Chelsea the lone representative in the competition. If Arsenal play like they did in the early stages of that second half, they will beat Ajax and progress. But if they fail to turn up again, and allow Ajax to dictate the terms of play from the start once more…
…well, let’s not think about what that will mean!
Written by Adam Salter.
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