Arsenal

2-2

Athletic Bilbao

White 39

 

Juaristi 4

Grant 86 (pen)

 

Sustatxa 55


UEFA Women's Cup
Second Qualifying Round
Stockholm, Sweden
14 September 2004

A last gasp penalty saw Arsenal kick off their UEFA Women's Cup second qualifying group campaign with a draw in Sweden last night.

Arsenal pulled back from behind twice to take a point from this hard fought opening group match against Spanish champions Athletic in Stockholm Stadium.

A bruised ankle saw striker Julie Fleeting begin on the bench but skipper Faye White was restored to the starting line-up for the first time this season following a knee injury.

And the two played a key role in the game, White equalising and second half substitute Fleeting forcing the disputed penalty which saw Ciara Grant level with four minutes remaining.

But despite their disappointment, assistant manager Fred Donnelly, filling in for boss Vic Akers who was at Highbury preparing for Arsenal men's Champions League tie in his role as the Gunners' kit man, says they are "still in it".

"I was disappointed with the way we played but we haven't lost anything, the thing is still wide open and we go through to Thursday with a blank sheet of paper," he said after the match.

A goalless draw was played out when these two sides met in a mid-season friendly last year in Spain.

But this was a much more testing affair, with chances for both sides to finish it.

Athletic topped their first round qualifier group in July, scoring 16 and conceding just four. And though Inigo Juaristi's side have yet to start their season in Spain's Superliga, it didn't show.

Athletic took the lead after just four minutes when captain Aitziber Juaristi side footed unchallenged past Emma Byrne from Elisabeth Rabancho's pass.

Arsenal almost equalised three minutes later when Jayne Ludlow headed Clare Wheatley's cross on to the bar.

But the Gunners were still rattled and moments later a poor crossfield pass let in Rabancho on the right, but she dragged her shot wide.

The crossbar denied Erika Morales eight minutes later but by the half hour, the English champions had settled and they levelled on 39 minutes.

A good spell of pressure saw the ball fall to Ludlow on the edge of the box and her snapshot forced an instinctive save from Elixabete Capa Cia.

But the keeper palmed the ball into the path of the onrushing White who shot low and hard into the corner.

Athletic were back in command 10 minutes after the restart when Gurutze Callejo's soft corner was worked back to Iraia Sustatxa and her volley flew past a sea of bodies into the net.

Ludlow was again denied by Cia just after the hour and Byrne kept Arsenal in it with a flying save from Rabancho's free kick 25 yards out.

But the arrival of Fleeting and Angie Banks off the bench spurred Arsenal on.

Fleeting, star of May's FA Cup Final, won a penalty four minutes from time which the Spaniards hotly disputed but Grant dispatched coolly.

And the Scotland captain almost sealed it at the death with a terrific volley, but Cia saved the shot.

Teams

Athletic: Elixabete Capa Cia, Vanessa Rodriguez, Marta Remirez, Gurutze Callejo, Itziar Bengoetxea, Aitziber Juaristi, Iraia Sustatxa, Arrate Olabarria (Lorena Sanchez 86), Elisabeth Rabancho (Zurine Garcia 68), Erika Morales (Amaia Olabarrieta 78), Eva Martinez

Arsenal: Emma Byrne, Kirsty Pealling, Faye White, Anita Asante, Mary Phillip, Leanne Champ (Julie Fleeting 65), Clare Wheatley (Hayley Kemp 81), Jayne Ludlow, Ciara Grant, Lianne Sanderson (Angie Banks 61), Justine Lorton