Magnificent Arsenal Women reach Champions League final
A result for the ages after Renée Slegers's superb side reach the Champions League final - also, a trip to welcoming Dial Square, and Arsenal U21s win Play-off clash
Hello!
Happy Monday!
It certainly is after Arsenal Women reached the Champions League final!
What a result. What a performance. What a team.
Renée Slegers’ side showed character, courage, resilience, as well as displaying talent, temperament and technique to beat former Gunner Aussie Joe Montemurro’s Lyon side 4-1 in France on Sunday evening, to win the tie 5-3 on aggregate.
The mighty Arsenal Women reached the Champions League final on Sunday. CREDIT: Suzy Lycett in Lyon for the Gooner Fanzine
Which means the mighty AWFC have now booked a date at the showpiece final in Lisbon on Saturday, May 24.
We all hoped the Gunners would stage a recovery after the crushing 2-1 defeat against Lyon in the first leg at the Emirates - and they certainly did.
I was there in North London last week with my partner Faye, along with a raft of friends and family, who had helped flog copies of our new Arsenal Women’s Gooner Fanzine before the game, and I was absolutely gutted at losing last week in North London. So much so, that we all drowned our sorrows in nearby hostelries after the match (that’s a story for another day…)
So, to watch the remarkable turnaround from the edge of the settee last night was utterly wonderful, albeit fraught at times.
I had considered going as a fan, or even as a journo, but it’s been a long season, and I’m absolutely knackered as it is, and that’s without factoring in two blockbuster ties against PSG over the next nine days.
Starting with a pre-match trip to London Colney later to run the rule over Mikel Arteta’s squad during open trading, before racing to the Emirates (within national speed limit boundaries of course) to take in PSG’s open training, as well as Arteta’s pre match presser.
We’ve got Lessi Russo/We’ve got Lessi Russo. CREDIT: Suzy Lycett in Lyon for the Gooner Fanzine
So, I have to say a massive well done to our absolutely superb Gooner Fanzine Women’s team for their outstanding work in France over the weekend - which I would emphatically say is as good as coverage of Arsenal Women as you would get anywhere on the planet.
A massive well done to our brilliant AWFC editor Freddie Cardy in the Lyon press box, along with our equally brilliant pitch side photographer Suzy Lycett. Massive kudos also goes to another superb member of our team Lumi Lehmuskallio for her excellent video among the fans in France. Not to mention the outstanding Isobel Gilligan back here in the UK.
When I took over the Gooner Fanzine just before the pandemic, I had a number of goals, targets and plans I wanted to reach.
Some have been met, some are still miles off, and some are still a pipe dream, but one of my firm ambitions was to grow our coverage of Arsenal Women, stemming from my time covering AWFC as the Arsenal reporter at the Islington Gazette newspaper many moons ago, also because I have daughters who play, and saw how wonderful the women’s game is at all levels form grass roots upwards, and, well, because it’s a brilliant game to watch.
As an aside, if you haven’t been to a game yet, I would heartily urge you to get a ticket for Arsenal Women vs Manchester United Women and have a day out supporting the Arsenal.
If that’s not your thing, then why not make it your thing.
One club, one team, one dream.
Why not give it a go. And if you’re completely indifferent to it after attending a women’s game, (which I promise you won’t be) well, then at least you’ve tried it.
It’s those dinosaurs who criticse the women’s game without ever having been to a game that really do my head in. If you’re one of those, then we simply can’t be friends, in fact I’d ask you to unsubscribe from here, because I don’t want you if you’re just here for my Arsenal men’s work. Because the women’s game is brilliant. And deserves everyone’s support and respect.
Anyway, rant over, let’s just bask in the afterglow of an utterly fantastic result by Renée Slegers side that will see Arsenal Women reach only their second final in this tournament.
That the men can also do the same - and possibly against the same opponents as the women, as well as the same club they lost to back in 2006 - means the majority of the next few days will be taken up with covering Arteta’s side, even if I will be flogging copies of our Women’s Gooner Fanzine outside Villa vs Arsenal Women in the WSL on Wednesday night, before ducking in and supporting Slegers’ side from the away end at Villa Park.
Exciting times for The Arsenal.
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Arsenal Academy
Speaking of exciting sides, it was great to head to Meadow Park on Friday evening just gone, to report on Mehmet Ali’s Arsenal U21 side - after running the rule over Slegers’ side during pre-Lyon open training at London Colney on Friday afternoon.
As an aside it was instructive to note that the women also amplify psychological marital gains similar to Arteta’s side, by playing music while they train. I noted that the speakers played Mission Impossible - which was taken by some deluded souls on Twitter to mean the club didn’t think they had a chance. Quite the opposite.
Barring the fact it was simply a tune on the playlist that gets played regularly for its quick beats, it wasn’t meant as disrespectful to the Lyon team in the slightest.
It will be interesting to see what Arteta’s side will be listening to later today.
Anyway, back to the U21s, who beat a dogged young Newcastle side 2-1 with two penalties, including a last-gasp spot kick in the 92nd minute to win the Premier League2 Play-off clash. You can read more here and here
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Dial Square
On Saturday, with no men’s or women’s game, I finally paid a visit to the absolutely brilliant Dial Square, the club founded by Arsenal supporters for Arsenal supporters.
I’m in the middle of penning a few massively positive pieces on my trip and the wonderfully welcoming club but in the meantime I heartily would urge all Gooners to pay a visit to The Dial.
Suffice to say, a massive thank you to each and every single person I met at Alwyns Lane who made me feel so welcome, in such a convivial environment, I had such a brilliant day out, and will be back next season.
Watch this space for much more on the brilliant Dial Square!
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DAILY LIST
1 - Drive to London Colney after lunch to run the rule over Mikel Arteta’s side during their open training for the media.
2 - Drive to North London in time for PSG’s open training this evening ahead of Arteta’s pre-PSG press conference.