MY ACCOUNT
Pauline Bremer delivered the fatal blow deep in extra time as Wolfsburg beat Arsenal 3-2 (5-4 on aggregate) to book their spot in the Champions League final.
Stina Blackstenius opened the scoring to give the Gunners an early lead however just before half time Jill Roord levelled for the German outfit with a well-struck volley.
The second half was a closely contested affair that saw Wolfsburg take the advantage through Alexandra Popp’s header at the near post.
But Arsenal refused to give up and Jen Beattie equalised late on to force extra time then in the 119th minute Bremer tucked home the winner to see the Gunners out of the Champions League.
Here are the five talking points.
Extra-time heroics
Bremer was the hero as she struck late in extra time to send Wolfsburg into the Champions League final.
The goal came from Jule Brand pouncing on Lotte Wubben-Moy deep in the Arsenal half where she then fired a low cross to an unmarked Bremer, who slotted the ball into an open net.
It was a devastating blow for the Gunners and an uncharacteristic mistake from the England youngster.
Roord haunts former club
Roord spent two seasons with Arsenal but showed no signs of holding back when she blasted home an equaliser in the first half.
Wolfsburg’s No14 produced a clinical finish with a well-hit volley that swept past the arms of Manuela Zinsberger to bring her side level.
It proved to be a pivotal moment as Arsenal had started to build pressure on the visitors but found themselves back at square one just before half time.
From that point, Wolfsburg regained control of the match and were much the better side.
Defending set-pieces sink Arsenal
Arsenal’s failure to defend convincingly at set-pieces proved to be their undoing.
Wolfsburg’s equaliser came from a poorly cleared free-kick that landed at the feet of Roord, who was able to dispatch her strike with conviction.
The second was a similar affair as Popp lost her marker with a good piece of movement to the near post, where all she had to do was make strong contact towards goal to score.
It was those areas where Wolfsburg posed a danger that Arsenal failed to adapt to and suffered the toughest consequences.
Wolfsburg’s dominance continues
Wolfsburg have never been behind in a game against Arsenal and have been in front at half-time in all five previous encounters.
They continued that dominance despite going behind early on, responding just before half time to stop the Gunners’ momentum.
Popp then delivered a crucial blow in the 58th minute with a direct header that was too close for Zinsberger to react and saw them through to extra time where Bremer scored the winning goal.
As a result, it means their record of dominance over Arsenal continues.
Arsenal fight
Despite defeat, Arsenal showed their fighting spirit.
Backed by their record 60,000 fans, the Gunners did well to battle for every ball and remained resilient throughout the match, especially when responding to going behind.
In the end, it was not enough as Bremer overcame Arsenal’s defiance to set up a blockbuster fixture with Barcelona.
