Arsenal ease past Aegina

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

A ten-player Arsenal brushed aside Greek champions Aegina 7-1 yesterday in the second of their three qualifying group matches in Sweden.

Arsenal were leading 1-0 with just over an hour to play at Stockholm Stadium when Leanne Champ was red carded for a challenge on Vasiliki Soupiadou.

But the 10-woman team went on to hit six more goals past Aegina in a sumptuous display which sees them second in the group behind Swedes Djurgarden/Alvjso who beat Athletic 3-2.

"To come back as well as we have shows tremendous character and I can't be any more proud of the team than I am at the moment," said manager Vic Akers afterwards.

Aegina, who boast four Olympian players, had yet to concede a goal in Europe this season.

A 5-0 defeat by the Swedes on Tuesday put paid to that and England's double winners added to their woes.

With the possibility that goal difference could decide this group, Arsenal began with Tuesday's influential second half substitutes Julie Fleeting and Angela Banks.

And they made an impact after just seven minutes when Fleeting found Banks who unselfishly teed up Jayne Ludlow to shoot past keeper Danae Melaki.

Arsenal continued to dominate but were hemmed back by a string of offside decisions and free kicks. And the north Londoners were on the backfoot 28 minutes in when Champ was sent off.

The Gunners recovered to extend their lead on 40 minutes though. Banks' shot on goal was blocked but Ciara Grant squeezed the loose ball to Fleeting who powered home.

Aegina pulled one back before the break when Vesna Stojanovic, denied moments earlier by keeper Emma Byrne, crossed for Angeliki Tefani to score.

But Aegina's threatened revival never arrived as Arsenal stepped up a gear at the restart.

Captain White scored Arsenal's third on 55 minutes but was promptly stretchered off after a crunching tackle injured her ankle in the process.

Her replacement, 17-year-old Hayley Kemp, slotted in immediately and her 30-yard pass opened up the Greek defence for Grant to head home Arsenal's fourth.

It was 5-1 two minutes later when Clare Wheatley calmly volleyed home Kirsty Pealling's whipped cross.

Fleeting nodded home the sixth on 75 minutes after another precision pass from Pealling, this time on the left.

And Ludlow returned Banks' earlier favour by supplying the pass which saw the retired England international make it 7-1 on 81 minutes.

Arsenal face the Swedes on Saturday without Leanne Champ and Faye White but Banks said:

"We are here to play the top teams in Europe and we consider them to be one of the best and anyone who steps in will enjoy the experience and hopefully we'll get something from it."

Team Details

Arsenal: Emma Byrne, Kirsty Pealling, Leanne Champ, Anita Asante, Faye White (Hayley Kemp 55), Mary Phillip, Jayne Ludlow, Ciara Grant (Amber Hearn 88), Angela Banks (Lianne Sanderson 89), Julie Fleeting

Aegina: Danae Melaki, Theano Prokopi, Maria Zouzouni, Vasiliki Soupiadou, Danjela Stojilijkovic (Athina Redoumi 60), Vesna Stojanovic, Konstantina Katsaiti, Angeliki Tefani (Anastasia Pimitrakopoulou 63), Evangelia Mprisimi, Georgia Koutrafouri, Virginia Skordogianni

Attendance: 520