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Mariona Caldentey’s 93rd-minute penalty delivered a win and a hefty dose of relief to fans bouncing behind the goal in the North Bank after the ball hit the back of the net, but Arsenal’s narrow defeat of HB Køge in their Champions League opener left more questions unanswered than answered for the struggling Gunners.
Manager Renée Slegers’ puffed cheeks said it all when the full-time whistle went. If it had been revealed on the final whistle that a forcefield surrounded the opposition goal at Meadow Park, many would have believed it, such was the extent of Arsenal’s ridiculous profligacy in front of goal in their league phase opener.
Exactly what is stopping Arsenal from getting the ball in the back of the net with a swagger reflective of their talent-laden squad is hard to pinpoint. Yes, teams are defending excellently against them, as a battling Køge and goalkeeper Alberte Vingum did on Tuesday night, but this feels like an Arsenal problem: a mentality one, a training ground one, a ruthlessness one.
The shadow of Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge loomed large at Meadow Park with eight changes made to the team that salvaged a point against Manchester United deep into added time on Saturday.
Only centre-back pairing Leah Williamson and Steph Catley and forward Stina Blackstenius retained their place in the starting XI for their Champions League opener.
The hope, without being disrespectful to their Danish opposition, was that this game would alleviate the frustration the Gunners are experiencing in front of goal, breaking the mental block several players seem to be suffering from.
Unfortunately, the A Liga leaders had other ideas.
Arsenal were dominant in possession, pushing players so far forward that they often looked to be operating with a back one, of Catley or Williamson.
Chloe Kelly tested goalkeeper Alberte Vingum early on, cutting onto her right foot and forcing a fingertip save from the 21-year-old. Frida Maanum did the same two minutes later, latching on to a half clearance and lashing the ball goalwards only for Vingum to get her hands behind it.
The message from the bench came loudly from Slegers, the manager yelling “pressure!” as Blackstenius harried a Køge centre-back.
The Gunners’ pressure seemed to have yielded the breakthrough in the 13th minute, when Caitlin Foord kept an attack alive before sending the ball to Taylor Hinds. The full-back fed Kyra Cooney-Cross and the Australian midfielder’s neat flick was turned in by Kelly on the volley with the outside of her leg. It was a fine finish but the video assistant referee intervened to penalise an offside Blackstenius for straying into the line of sight of Vingum.
That the game reached half-time with the game goalless was somewhat inexplicable, but also symbolic of Arsenal’s stuttering start to the season, with just five points from their three WSL games after consecutive draws, against Crystal Palace and Manchester United. Køge, meanwhile, have built some real momentum in the Champions League having earned a 4-1 win over Riga and 2-1 win over Hearts in the second round of qualifying before a 2-1 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven sealed their place in the league phase.
The scale of the achievement for the visiting team was demonstrated by the buoyant celebrations of their coaching staff as soon as the half-time whistle was blown. Manager Kristian Mørch Rasmussen bellowed “good job in here”, before tripping on a railing and receiving a chorus of boos from the home fans behind the opposition dugout. He walked across the pitch towards the dressing room with a smile on his face and a finger to his lips shushing the crowd.
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Blackstenius made way for Alessia Russo at the break and the home team continued their push.
The longer the game went without an Arsenal goal, the greater the anxiety of the fans packed into Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park became.
Caldentey and new recruit Lisa Baum joined the battle just before the hour mark but Arsenal still could not find a way though the extremely well-organised Køge backline that just did not seem to tire.
A bursting run from Baum looked promising as she escaped her marker but a brilliant recovery tackle pickpocketed the forward and sent the ball out for a corner in the home team’s best chance of the second half.
The bizarre Disney+ coverage of the match, unbeknown to the fans under the floodlights, quickly became the biggest talking point among fans watching from home, with the bored studio dog and heavily criticised weird advert break while the game was still being played serving as a brief distraction from the tedium on the pitch. It was not any better when coverage resumed, Arsenal were dominating and creating but they are so hugely frustrating to watch when they are not converting, particularly with the attacking talent at their disposal.
Their 21 attempts to Køge’s four told one story, the two attempts on target to one told another.
As the clock edged towards full time, every effort placed high, wide or cut out was wildly celebrated by the Køge substitutes. They were silenced eventually, when Yukina Sakabe upended Selina Cerci in a rare blimp from the visiting team and Caldentey converted from the spot.
Relief filled the stands, but with Chelsea up next, nerves of another wasteful season will not settle.
