UWCL: Alessia Russo stars as Arsenal complete stunning comeback to reach Champions League semi-finals
Alessia Russo delivered a match-winning performance as Arsenal staged a remarkable second-leg comeback to defeat Real Madrid 3-0 on Wednesday, overturning a two-goal deficit to clinch a 3-2 aggregate victory and secure a spot in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals.
The London side exploded into action after the break, netting three times within 15 minutes to book a showdown with eight-time champions Olympique Lyonnais, who had earlier eliminated Bayern Munich.
"It was amazing. It still feels a bit surreal right now, I've not really let it sink in yet," Russo told TNT Sports after being named player of the match. "We've had a lot of belief all week, we knew what we wanted to do and what we're capable of as a team, and we've done that tonight."
Russo ignited the comeback just a minute into the second half, tapping in a pinpoint cross from Chloe Kelly. Moments later, Mariona Caldentey doubled Arsenal’s lead with a header, again assisted by the Manchester City loanee. The decisive goal arrived in the 59th minute when Russo smashed a stunning half-volley into the top of the net, completing the turnaround. The England international nearly secured a hat-trick but saw two goals ruled out for offside.
Real Madrid had their chances, with Filippa Angeldahl forcing a superb save from Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar late in the first half, while Linda Caicedo almost sent the match into extra time with a stoppage-time strike that Van Domselaar once again kept out.
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Despite holding firm in the opening half and keeping Arsenal at bay as Caitlin Foord and Caldentey missed key opportunities, Real Madrid ultimately fell short of reaching their first-ever European semi-final.
"We knew that we were doing well in the first half. We felt good as a team, we felt that we had momentum. We just wanted to be a little more patient in the final third as we knew that we needed to score," Russo added.
"Chloe put in some great crosses that set up the first two goals, and we were just persistent. We probably should have had more, to be fair."
SportsLigue