March 31, (THEWILL) – VfL Wolfsburg advanced to the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 victory, 3-1 on aggregate, over Arsenal at the Volkswagen Arena, thanks to Jill Roord’s goal against her previous club.
The ball from a Wolfsburg corner dropped right in the centre of the penalty box, hitting two players before Roord reacted fastest to score the first goal in the ninth minute from close range.
Within 10 minutes, the margin had nearly doubled. Arsenal failed to clear a ball over the top, which found Tabea Wassmuth. The Wolfsburg player hammered the ball into the corner of the net, but the goal was ruled offside following a lengthy VAR review.
Arsenal had a couple half-chances in the second half, but they failed to convert any of them. They were made to pay for their profligacy soon after.
Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir made a terrific run to the byline and attempted to pass it into the box for the second goal in the 72nd minute. In an attempt to block the ball, Leah Williamson mishandled it and scored an own goal in the 73rd minute.
Arsenal had an opportunity to cut down the deficit but Vivianne Miedema headed the ball off the bar from a corner. Williamson attempted a shot on the follow-up, but Almuth Schult just managed to keep the ball out of the Wolfsburg net to secure the victory.
VfL Wolfsburg will now focus on Bayern Munich, whom they will face twice this season: first, in the league, where both teams are battling for the crown and are separated by only one point, and then in the DFB Pokal semi-final.
Thursday’s UWCL win means that they will face defending champions Barcelona Femeni in the semi-finals, after the champions defeated Real Madrid 8-3 on aggregate, in their quarter-final fixtures.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will seek to return to winning ways in the league against Leicester City in order to retake first place in the WSL.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
