Arsenal Women vs Linköpings Women. Women's Champions League Qualifying First Round Semi-Final.
Linkoping ArenaAttendance7,805.
Report as Arsenal secure a 3-0 win against Linkoping in Champions League qualifying; second-half goals from Caitlin Foord, Lina Hurtig and Stina Blackstenius earn victory; Arsenal now face Paris FC on Saturday for the chance to reach the second round of qualifying
Wednesday 13 September 2023 19:46, UK
Arsenal's Women's Champions League qualifying campaign got off to a winning start as Jonas Eidevall's side secured a 3-0 victory against Linkoping in Sweden.
Second-half goals from Caitlin Foord (53), Lina Hurtig (81) and Stina Blackstenius (90) made it a winning start to the season for the Gunners, who will now face France's Paris FC on Saturday for the chance to reach the second round of qualifying - the round before the group stage.
Alessia Russo, Amanda Ilestedt and Cloe Lacasse were all handed their Arsenal debuts in Sweden.
After a tight first half, which saw Kim Little's early penalty saved, all of the goals came in the second half with Foord and Hurtig finding the back of the net with headers before Blackstenius rounded off what was eventually a comfortable evening for the Gunners.
There was further positive news for Arsenal, who named England international Beth Mead on the bench after nine months out with a knee injury.
Arsenal will now prepare for Saturday's final against Paris FC.
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall on the performances of his new signings:
"It's very important for us to have the option to play with wide forwards who can play wider and press in one-on-one situations. I am really happy with Cloe [Lacasse] coming in because she is quite similar to Beth Mead.
"That provides us with good depth and quality on the right side. Then we have Caitlin Foord and Lina Hurtig on the left side who are similar players in the way they can protect the ball and come in on their right foot. I like our options.
"I think time is essential when we try to develop quality and we haven't had much time. So given our preparation, I thought they [the new signings] were all great today."
The Gunners will face the winners of Paris FC on Saturday September 9, again in Linkoping; kick-off 2pm.
Celtic registered their first win in a Champions League tie as Kelly Clark's second-half goal earned them a 1-0 win against Brondby in Oslo.
Clark's emphatic finish following a 68th-minute corner saw Celtic advance to the final of their round-one group where they will play either Valerenga.
Glasgow City secured their place in their round-one group final after beating Shelbourne 2-0 in a morning kick-off and will now face Lithuanian side Gintra.
Kinga Kozak's effort for Glasgow before the break hit the crossbar and second-half goals from Brenna Lovera and Lauren Davidson saw the Scottish side progress.
Glasgow's next opponents Gintra knocked Cardiff out of the competition as two goals from Nigeria forward Juliet Bassey in Siauliai sealed a 2-0 win.
Irish Premiership champions Cliftonville's first-ever Champions League tie ended in an 8-1 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon.
Marie D'Anjou headed Benfica into a first-half lead and after Fionnula Morgan's own goal, further efforts from Lucia Alves and Andrea Falcon gave the hosts a 4-0 interval lead.
Lara Martins added two more for Benfica early in the second half and Caitlin McGuinness headed Cliftonville's first European goal before Alves and Beatriz Nogueira extended the Portuguese side's lead.
Round one of Champions League qualifying consists of two knockout games. As previously mentioned, Arsenal will now take on Paris FC on Saturday September 9 for a place in the second round of qualifying.
In round two, the Gunners will only face one team. They will play a home and away leg as they bid to reach the Champions League group stages.
Wolfsburg, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Sparta Praha, BK Häcken and Manchester United all enter the competition at this stage.
The round-two knockout matches take place in October and will decide which 12 teams will join automatic qualifiers Barcelona, Lyon, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea in the group stages in November.
Follow all the latest from the Women's Super League across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage and in-game clips from games live on Sky Sports.
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