Arsenal Women Stage Stunning Comeback to Reach Champions League Semi-Final

LONDON: Arsenal Women produced a remarkable fightback from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to defeat Real Madrid 3-0, securing a spot in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals against eight-time winners Lyon.

Alessia Russo scored twice for the Gunners, alongside a header from Mariona Caldentey, in front of a crowd of 22,517 at the Emirates Stadium, sending Arsenal through with a 3-2 aggregate scoreline.

Real Madrid arrived in London with high confidence after their historic win over Barcelona in the women’s Clasico, but Arsenal’s dominant second-half performance stunned the Spanish side.

“It still feels a bit surreal right now, I’ve not really let it sink in yet,” said Russo, reflecting on her best performance since joining Arsenal from Manchester United in 2023. “We had a lot of belief all week, we knew what we wanted to do, and we did it tonight.”

Despite Arsenal’s pressure in the first half, it was Madrid who nearly extended their lead, with a fine save from Daphne van Domselaar denying Filippa Angeldahl. But the tie shifted in Arsenal’s favor after the break, with three goals in the first 14 minutes of the second half. Russo struck first, followed by Caldentey’s header, and Russo completed the turnaround with an acrobatic finish.

Although Russo thought she had scored a hat-trick, VAR ruled out an Arsenal fourth for offside, but it did not dampen their spirits as they held on to progress.

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In the other quarter-final, Lyon secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich, advancing with a 6-1 aggregate score. Lyon’s Melchie Dumornay, Kadidiatou Diani, and Tabitha Chawinga were all on target, while Ada Hegerberg added a stoppage-time goal.

Meanwhile, Barcelona holds a 4-1 advantage over Wolfsburg ahead of their second-leg clash, and Chelsea will aim to overturn a two-goal deficit against Manchester City in their upcoming match.