World Soccer - UK (2020-04)

Into the

last eight

Alex Scott is now best known as a
performer in the hit TV series Strictly
Come Dancing and as one of the stars
of the first generation of female football
pundits on English TV. Prior to that she
was a World Cup bronze-medal winning
England left-back, earning more than a
century of international caps.
But Scott has another unique, claim to
fame: she is the only player to score for a
British club in a women’s European Final.
Moreover, her goal against Swedish side
Umea in the 2007 UEFA Women’s Cup
Final won the precursor to the Women’s
Champions League, capping a seasonal
quadruple for an Arsenal team that
dominated English women’s football
in the opening decade of the century.
No British club has reached the Final
since. In the last six years Birmingham

City, Chelsea, Manchester City and
Arsenal have reached the semi-finals,
but the only British Final representation
has been through individuals: Lucy
Bronze and Jess Fishlock (both Lyon),
and Toni Duggan (Barcelona).
After a five-season absence Arsenal
are back in Europe this term and have
progressed to the quarter-finals.
Under Australian boss Joe Montemurro
they have rediscovered their zest, stylishly
winning the WSL title last season. While
Scotland’s Kim Little, England’s Jordan
Nobbs and Holland’s Danielle Van de
Donk comprise a midfield with creativity
and bite, newly acquired Australian Caitlin
Foord and England’s Beth Mead support
the razor-sharp Dutch striker Vivianne
Miedema in attack. However, Little and
Mead have been out injured and Arsenal
lost the League Cup Final 2-1 to Chelsea
despite dominating the play.
Although Arsenal remain in the FA
Cup their focus is on Europe, and such
is the level of investment by the leading

English clubs it seems inevitable that

Scott’s goal will soon lose its uniqueness.

And Arsenal will obviously want to win

their second title before Chelsea or

Manchester City can claim a first.

Speaking before the draw for the

knockout stage Montemurro said: “As

much as we dread meeting the likes of

Lyon in this competition, I’m pretty sure

that they’ll dread meeting us too because

we’re not here to just fill up numbers,

we’re here to go all the way.”

Arsenal were subsequently pitched

into Lyon’s half of the draw, though they

must first play PSG, while defending

champions Lyon face Bayern Munich.

The other half of the draw features

two-time winners Wolfsburg against

Glasgow City, and an all-Spanish tie

between last year’s runners-up Barcelona

and Atletico Madrid.

History suggests a third Final in five

years between Lyon and Wolfsburg, who

have not lost a tie in Europe to anyone

but Lyon since 2015, but this year could

be different. Lyon, winners of the last four

Finals, will be without Ada Hegerberg –

whose record 53 goals in the competition

includes a hat-trick in last year’s Final

• after the Norwegian suffered an ACL
  injury in January.
  Lyon still have a lethal attack with
  Jean-Luc Vasseur able to choose from

Eugenie Le Sommer, Delphine Cascarino

and Nikita Parris to lead the line and

plenty of goalscoring threats in midfield.

Nevertheless, Hegerberg’s absence is a

blow that Bayern will hope to exploit.

Wolfsburg, already on course to retain

their domestic title, should ease past a

Glasgow side who have already exceeded

expectations given the club is part-time,

and their semi-final ought to be trickier

whichever Spanish club emerges.

Moving into March, Barcelona had

established a nine-point domestic league

lead over an Atletico side now on their

third coach of the season. Averaging four

goals a game, with Jennifer Hermoso and

Asisat Oshoala both in the 20s, Barca

do not look like slipping up at home but

Europe provides Atletico with a chance to

reassert themselves.

This is the penultimate season under

the current format and from 2021-22

the last 16 will become a group stage

with four quartets.

Entry will be expanded to three clubs

from the six countries highest in the

UEFA women’s club coefficient. Given the

current standings that would be France,

Germany, England, Spain, Sweden and

Czech Republic.

“I’m thrilled that we are taking this

Glenn Moore

Women’s Football

Hopeful...Atletico

Madrid’s Aissatou

Tounkara and Asisat

Oshoala of Barcelona

(above, left and

right), and Vivianne

Miedema of Arsenal

(right, in red)

Surprise...part-timers

Glasgow City

“As much as we dread meeting the likes of Lyon in this

competition, I’m pretty sure that they’ll dread meeting

us too because we’re not here to just fill up numbers”

Arsenal boss Joe Montemurro

Champions League reaches quarter-final stage