Arsenal

4-1

Torres Terra Sarda

Banks 36, 38

 

Pedersen 67

Ludlow 72

 

 

Fleeting 81

Arsenal win 4-3 on aggregate

UEFA Women's Cup
Quarter-Final, Second Leg
Borehamwood FC
31 October 2004

Arsenal are in the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Cup for the second team in three seasons thanks to a tremendous second leg fight back in their quarter-final against Italian champions Torres Terra Sarda.

After losing the first leg 2-0 in Sardinia the Gunners triumphed 4-1 at Borehamwood on Sunday evening, two first half goals by former England striker Angela Banks - who has this season come back from a premature retirement - setting up a thrilling finale.

With an enthusiastically supportive crowd of just under a thousand roaring them on, the Gunners finally clinched their 4-3 aggregate win through a goal by Scotland striker Julie Fleeting nine minutes from time.

"It was a great night for us," said 28 year-old Banks after playing a key role in her team’s victory. "It was the prospect of occasions like this that made me decide to come out of retirement and I’m really looking forward to playing in the semi-finals."

In their two-leg semi Arsenal will meet Swedish champions Djurgården/Älvsjö IF, who they beat 1-0 in the second round group stage but who on Sunday knocked reigning UEFA Cup champions and fellow Swedes Umeå IK out of the competition.

"It will be a difficult tie for us," noted Arsenal manager Vic Akers. "We beat them in our group match over there, but it was a very hard game and we’ll have to be at our very best to come through against them over two legs."

If the Gunners can produce a two-leg performance to match the 90 minutes they put in against Torres at Borehamwood they will certainly be in with a chance of becoming the first English club to reach a UEFA Women’s Cup final.

They had to withstand some early pressure from the visitors, whose midfielder Chidra Gazzoli forced goalkeeper Emma Byrne into a fourth minute goal line save, but Arsenal gradually took control of what at times became a volatile match.

They took the lead when Banks turned the ball in from close range after her strike partner Fleeting’s 36th minute shot had hit the far post, then two minutes later a cross from Fleeting led to Banks adding her second with a low 15 yard shot.

Torres reduced the arrears on the night 22 minutes into the second half, striker Pedersen sweeping home a Gioia Masia cross to put the visitors back in front on aggregate and set up a nail-biting finish.

Jayne Ludlow headed home Clare Wheatley’s 72nd minute free-kick to make the aggregate score 3-3, then Ludlow’s midfield partner Ciara Grant met an 80th minute free-kick from Wheatley to head agonisingly against the post.

But as the home side maintained their intense pressure a looping cross by Fleeting deceived goalkeeper Elisa Forlucci, who got her hands to the ball but could not prevent it from crossing the line to give Arsenal victory.

It was a fortuitous but nevertheless a deserved winner on a night when the Gunners more than made up for the below par first leg performance which had seen them going into the second leg with a daunting two-goal deficit to overturn.

"I’m proud of the girls," said manager Akers. "Last week was very disappointing, but we knew what we had to do going into the second leg and I couldn’t be more pleased with the performance against a very good team.

"We pushed forward strongly, got in their face and really went for it. We had to dig deep at times, especially after the Italians had scored, but we showed tremendous spirit and I can’t speak too highly of the girls."