Layth's Take: Arsenal Women rout Rangers; Happy Birthday to Bukayo Saka, and my youngest daughter

September 5 is a special date: Happy Birthday to Bukayo Saka - and to my youngest daughter who turns 17 today

Hello,

Happy Thursday!

Happy Birthday to Bukayo Saka, who turns 23 today.

Happy Birthday also to my wonderful youngest daughter Josie, who turns 17 today.

With the international break firmly underway, I’ll keep today’s post brief as I’m about to take Josie for a birthday lunch, as she’s got a night out planned with her pals tonight.

In other news, I covered Arsenal Women thrashing Rangers 6-0 in the Champions League qualifier last night at Meadow Park.

Caitlin Foord hit four, powered by the majestic Mariona Caldentey, as the Gunners eased to their play-off tie against Rosenborg at the same venue on Saturday.

I also have to say a massive well done Freddie Cardy and Suzy Lycett.

Freddie is fast earning a (thoroughly deserved) reputation as one of the leading journalists on the Arsenal Women’s side and women’s football in general - and produced another superb night’s work at Meadow Park for the Gooner Fanzine.

Equally, we’re absolutely delighted that Suzy (@boodlepim) is our official Gooner Fanzine Arsenal Women’s photographer this season.

If you haven’t come across her work, I humbly suggest you really should check it out.

It’s absolutely superb.

We had a quick chat before last night’s game and between us all we’ve got really big plans for our Arsenal Women’s coverage in our digital Gooner Fanzine this season. Watch this space.

In the meantime, here’s a couple of Suzy’s brilliant shots from last night, including Katie McCabe’s telling the world how many goals Caitlin Foord scored.

PICTURE: Katie McCabe’s telling the world how many goals Caitlin Foord scored. CREDIT: Suzy Lycett (@Boodlepim)

…………..

Happy Birthday Bukayo!

Happy Birthday Bukayo! CREDIT: @FA

Happy Birthday to my beloved youngest daughter Josie. x

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That aged well

The first in an occasional series.

We kick off with a hapless West Ham account on Twitter.

Aforesaid account posted on Monday, insisting Declan Rice is “100 per cent not the same player he was at West Ham.”

Tuesday: Declan Rice nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

……….

Arsenal Women rout Rangers

I covered Arsenal Women’s rout of Rangers at Meadow Park last night. Good fun it was too. Below is my official newspaper match report, not to mention Suzy Lycett’s superb photograph taken on the final whistle.

Arsenal Women 6-0 Rangers. CREDIT: Suzy Lycett (@Boodlepim)

Arsenal Women 6–0 Rangers Women: Report by Layth Yousif at Meadow Park

It’s not often a forward can hit four goals and still be upstaged somewhat, but that is what happened to Caitlin Foorde, when shaded by outstanding colleague Mariona Caldentey, during Arsenal Women’s comprehensive Champions League 6-0 rout of Rangers. 

Despite the popular Australian notching four strikes, as Jonas Eidevall’s side moved one step closer to their goal of qualifying for the tournament’s group stages on Tuesday evening, Caldentey, the Gunners Majorca-born attacker excelled in red and white. 

After the abject failure of last season, when suffering a knock-out at this stage, the Gunners were far more accomplished this time around, and powered by Caldentey’s astute promptings, Eidevall’s side eased past their Scottish opponents in front of 3,487 at a sold-out Meadow Park. 

With the memory of last season’s travails lingering, the home side started positively, dominating the early stages, with Caldentey looking particularly lively.

With Eidevall controversially discarding the legendary Viv Miedema, Caldentey, who signed on a free transfer in July following a trophy-laden decade at Barca, was superb as an influential playmaker, while providing so much more besides, including reassuring tenacity in heart of battle. 

Powerful, dogged and determined off the ball, stylish and creative with it, the 2023 World Cup winner provided an inch-perfect ball into the box for Foord to open the scoring, by nodding home at the near post to put the Gunners ahead on 16 minutes to make it 1-0, and puncture any incipient tension. 

The rampant home side could have doubled their lead when the vastly experienced former Barcelona forward sent the ball towards Kim Little in the box, but the ball was cleared.

Speaking after the match, Eidevall praised Caldentey, saying: “She went out wide. she hit some good crosses. she had some really good one v one situations,” adding: “That flexibility makes her a really difficult player to defend [against].

“We experienced that first hand when we were playing against Barcelona in the Champions League. 

"It sometimes felt like you were playing against 12 players because she keeps popping up and overloading areas. 

“It was nice to have that for us that.”

The home side continued their relentless attacking after the break, when Little powered into the box, only for Olivia McLoughlin to block. 

However, the Gunners superiority was emphasised when Foorde grabbed her second of the evening on 59 minutes, past the despairing dive of Esson in the Gers goal to make it 2-0. 

Worse was to come for the Glaswegians, when Alessia Russo made it 3-0 sixty seconds later, when firing home from distance.

There was still time for Foorde’s superb strike with 20 minutes remaining, with an outstanding effort to notch an excellent treble when firing a superb effort that underlined astonishing technique, prior to Kim Little making it 5-0 from the penalty spot with five minutes remaining.

To the delight of the crowd, there was still time for Foord to grab her fourth, as the Gunners sealed the tie in style to make it half a dozen against their outgunned opponents.  

Eidevall said of four goal hero Foord: “A first goal is always nice because it gets us off to a great start. But her third goal and our fourth goal of the game - what a technical execution that is. 

"A stunning volley, and really nice football goal.”

Arsenal will now face Rosenborg back at Boreham Wood on Saturday, with the Norweigians surely noting the ominous form of Caldentey and Foord.

……

PS:

Before heading to the (cramped) press box at Boreham Wood last night I sold the Gooner Fanzine outside Meadow Park last night, as I normally try to do at Boreham Wood.

A Rangers fan who, completely unprompted, came up to me and said: “Why would I buy that sh*te. Your team’s sh*te.”

I get 100 comments every game, most of them are engaging, witty, funny, or even biting in an amusing way that makes me smile - not randomly aggressive for no reason whatsoever, as happened last night.

I should have shot back: “Not as bad as yours pal. Your men’s and women’s…”

But what I actually said in real life was “thanks very much,” because I try and follow the sage advice of Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, who said, and I quote: “Be nice.”

Anyway, your team really is sh*te pal, after the majestic Arsenal Women’s side did my talking for me during the game.