Arsenal thrash Zurich 9-1 to finish top in Women’s Champions League group
Frida Maanum hit a hat-trick and provided an assist as Arsenal secured top spot in Group C of the Champions League with a 9-1 thrashing of hosts Zurich.
It was a dominant display from the visitors from start to finish against a side who denied Arsenal a clean sheet through Fabienne Humm’s second-half penalty.
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Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius both scored twice, Kim Little fired home from the spot and substitute Mana Iwabuchi added a late effort of her own. Arsenal now need to wait until 10 February to discover who they have drawn in the quarter-finals.
Jonas Eidevall’s side had already booked their trip to the knockout stages, and the head coach was surely encouraged by the attacking display from his Gunners, who have now lost both Beth Mead and more recently Vivianne Miedema to long-term ACL injuries. Arsenal had their first opportunity from an early set piece after Zurich keeper Lourdes Romero could only knock down Steph Catley’s flicked-on delivery into the area.
Romero survived Rafaelle Souza’s attempt at tucking in the rebound and a subsequent goalmouth scramble, and played on after Katie McCabe’s effort caught her in the face, requiring a brief pause. She remained, and Zurich finally enjoyed a brief spell of possession before Foord, dodging a quartet of white shirts, was blatantly brought down by Julia Stierli.
Stina Blackstenius celebrates scoring Arsenal’s fourth goal against Zurich. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
Maanum did not waste the opportunity, giving Romero no chance as she floated the resulting free-kick into the top left corner after 18 minutes. Alayah Pilgrim came close to an equaliser when she watched her nodded effort sail high of the crossbar, the miss proving costly as Blackstenius drove down the right and fed Foord for a close-range finish.
Foord then turned provider, carrying the ball through midfield before releasing Maanum, who skipped over a sliding Romero before firing in Arsenal’s third. It was four by the break when Maanum unselfishly crossed to Blackstenius who calmly extended their advantage and snapped her own six-game stretch without a goal at the stroke of half-time.
Six minutes after the restart Leah Williamson fed Maanum, in acres of space at the edge of the area, and she completed her hat-trick with a powerful strike into the top left. Zurich finally got on the scoresheet after Williamson slipped, accidentally taking out Seraina Piubel in the process.
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There was no complaint from the England captain as the referee pointed to the spot and Humm fired home the consolation, just her side’s second goal of the competition. Floodgates firmly opened, Foord netted her second before substitutes Little and Iwabuchi got in on the action and padded the emphatic victory.
The defending champions, Lyon, finished second in the group after a goalless draw at home to Juventus, who would have leapfrogged their opponents with a victory.
The French side are a dangerous potential quarter-final opponent for the likes of Chelsea or Barcelona, who closed out their Group D campaign with a 6-0 home win over Rosengård. Bayern Munich, who finished second in the group, saw off Benfica thanks to Klara Bühl’s double.