Arsenal secure place in Champions League knockouts as Olivia Smith stuns OH Leuven
Arsenal Women produced a commanding performance in Belgium as they defeated OH Leuven 3-0 in their final UEFA Women’s Champions League league-phase match at a sold-out Den Dreef Stadium (attendance of 9,285).
Goals from Olivia Smith, Beth Mead, and an own goal by Saar Janssen secured a fourth European victory of the campaign and confirmed the Gunners’ place in the February knockout play-offs.
Despite the convincing win, Arsenal were forced to settle for fifth place in the league phase, finishing one point behind fourth-placed Bayern Munich and missing out on an automatic qualification for the quarter-finals.
Match summary
Arsenal entered the contest knowing that only victory would keep alive their slim hopes of a top four finish. Backed by a boisterous crowd of 9,285 - around 950 of whom had travelled from England - the holders showed maturity and control from the opening exchanges.
The visitors dominated possession early on but were made to work for the breakthrough by Leuven goalkeeper, Lowiese Seynhaeve, who produced a series of sharp saves. Alessia Russo saw two early headers denied as Arsenal patiently probed a disciplined Leuven defence.
The breakthrough arrived in the 18th minute. Olivia Smith exchanged a neat one-two with Mariona Caldentey before driving into the penalty area. Seynhaeve saved Smith’s initial effort, but the rebound fell kindly and the forward made no mistake, scoring her first-ever Champions League goal.
Nine minutes later, Arsenal doubled their advantage. Russo played the ball into Beth Mead on the right side of the box, where the England international cut inside onto her left foot and blasted an unstoppable finish past Seynhaeve. It marked Mead’s third goal of the Champions League campaign and underlined her excellent form.
Arsenal could have extended their lead before the break, with Caldentey, Mead and Lotte Wubben-Moy all denied by the outstanding Seynhaeve, but the Gunners went into half-time firmly in control.
Second half
Leuven emerged with greater intent after the interval, prompted by two substitutions from head coach, Arno Van den Abbeel. Young forward, Kadhiya De Ceuster injected energy into the hosts’ attack, and a corner shortly after the restart caused brief chaos in the Arsenal box, with Sara Pusztai seeing two efforts blocked in quick succession.
However, Arsenal always looked dangerous on the counter and sealed the result in the 67th minute. Caitlin Foord delivered a low cross from the left, which Saar Janssen inadvertently turned into her own net. After a lengthy VAR review, the goal was allowed to stand, confirming Arsenal’s third of the evening.
Leah Willamson, captaining England, made a welcome return to Champions League action midway through the second half, appearing in the competition for the first time since May’s final after a four-month absence due to a knee injury.
Group outcome and play-off draw
Despite the emphatic victory, results elsewhere meant Arsenal finished fifth in the league phase. Bayern Munich’s comeback win over Arsenal in November-scoring three second-half goals, including two in the final ten minutes-proved decisive. Had the Gunners held on for a draw after leading 2-0 in Munich, they would have secured a top four finish.
Vålerenga’s defeat by Bayern ensured Leuven scraped into the Knockout play-offs despite this being their second league-phase loss, following a 3-0 defeat to Barcelona.
Thursday’s draw has since confirmed that Arsenal will face OH Leuven again in a two-leg Champions League knockout tie in February, setting up an immediate rematch. Should the Gunners progress, they will meet Chelsea in the quarter-finals, a fixture that would represent one of the biggest rivalries in the competition.
The first leg will take place away on February 11 or 12, with the return leg at home a week later.
Sleger’s reaction
Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers praised her team’s composure and collective effort:
“Bravery was important tonight and doing everything together . I’m rather pleased with how the game turned out and how we intended to enter it. We anticipated that Leuven would play differently in the first and second halves coming out stronger, more aggressive and opportunities later on-but we were able to break their spell.
We had fresh energy and ideas as new players joined in, so it was a team effort. It’s not a simple place to visit. I’m rather pleased with the level of intensity and quality we were able to sustain.”
Context and what’s next
The parallels with Arsenal’s previous European triumph are striking. Their title-winning run last season began with qualification secured late in the group stage, and despite struggling domestically - sitting eight points behind Barclays Women’s Super League leaders Manchester City - Europe remains the club’s primary focus.
The strong travelling support and record attendance at Den Dreef reflected growing belief among supporters, belief that was fully justified by the performance. Kim Little’s return has been instrumental in Arsenal’s recent improvement, while Slegers named Taylor Hinds and Smith as her only changes from the weekend victory over Everton.
Arsenal’s attention now turns to domestic competition. They travel to Crystal Palace for the Subway Women’s League Cup quarter-final on Sunday (13:00 BST) before returning to WSL action at home against Manchester United on Saturday, January 10th (12:30 BST).