FAfter the quarter-finals with FC Bayern in the Champions League at WFC Arsenal (0:2), national soccer player Lina Magull mainly criticized the weak performance of the Munich team in the first half. The team simply slept for 20 minutes, said the 28-year-old on Wednesday evening. “Too negligent from behind,” the midfielder went on to analyze, Arsenal “then punished the slight mistakes coldly”.
The Arsenal victory in front of 21,307 fans in the London stadium after goals by Frida Maanum (20th minute) and Stina Blackstenius (26th) was deserved, said Magull. “Unfortunately, we definitely gambled away in the first half. It hurts and is unfortunately frustrating to be eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-finals or semi-finals like in previous years.” Last season, the Munich team, who have never won the title in the most important European club competition, were at Paris Saint- Germain failed – also in the quarterfinals.
“It’s disappointing”
The overall deserved defeat, which could have been higher, also frustrated Alexander Straus. “It’s disappointing that we gave it up in ten to 15 minutes in the first half through things we don’t normally do,” said the 47-year-old Bayern coach.
Midfielder Georgia Stanway (24) saw it similarly. “Individual mistakes cost us, we never really got into the game,” said the England international about her return to the island. “Arsenal were the better team today, with more quality and managed to create more chances.”
A few days after beating VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 in the top Bundesliga game and taking the lead in the table, Bayern once again suffered a setback. They had previously won 14 competitive games in a row, winning the last seven games without conceding a goal.
“We can still achieve a lot this season and will keep fighting,” said coach Straus, looking ahead to the final sprint in the league and the DFB Cup semi-final against Wolfsburg. Magull also emphasized: “We still have two competitions open and are now trying to stand even closer together and put our full focus on them.”
The Bayern conquerors from London now meet VfL Wolfsburg or Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. The quarter-final second leg between VfL and PSG will take place this Thursday (6.45 p.m. on DAZN) in the Wolfsburg Arena. In the first leg, the Wolfsburg women had won 1-0 in Paris. The final will take place in Eindhoven on June 3rd.
