Arsenal ‘on a mission’ – is another special season on the horizon?
The circumstances that led to Lyon’s two costly errors resulted from intense pressure from Arsenal.
Lyon goalkeeper Christiane Endler should have met Mariona Caldentey’s incoming free kick, but Blackstenius’ presence delayed her and she deflected the ball back.
Seven minutes before time, Ingrid Engen let a pass go past her, lost the foot race with Smith and collided with Endler, giving Smith an open goal.
But these were still the kinds of mistakes you wouldn’t expect a very experienced goalkeeper and two-time Champions League defender to make.
In his post-match press conference, Slegers dismissed the idea that his side’s goals were lucky.
“The first goal is tough for the goalkeeper because the ball is going forward and there are runners, so it’s hard to see. I think it caught the opposition off guard a little bit,” Slegers said.
“It’s a good moment where we want to create a second goal. Sometimes you score the most brilliant goals, but in football you score all kinds of goals.”
Caldentey’s free-kick, misjudged by Endler and headed home by Engen, was one of Arsenal’s few low set-piece shots aimed at creating maximum disruption.
Although Slegers gave little information, this was clearly a rehearsed training ground tactic.
“Lyon are an extreme team in terms of physical strength and size, so you always look at what we have, what the opponents have and what the opportunities are for us,” he said.
These were the moments when things were going well and everything started to go well; just like Lyon’s Kadidiatou Diani hitting the crossbar when the game was played towards goal with the score at 1-1.
“I thought the momentum we got from the second half was huge and hopefully we can carry that into the next few games,” forward Alessia Russo said.
“Football is about subtleties, sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t; it doesn’t matter how you score.”
In football, as in life, you make your own luck and Arsenal’s season could end on a thrilling note.
