Monday night saw Arsenal face Wolfsburg in the second leg of the Champions League Semi Final. This match saw a sold out Emirates Stadium, breaking an English record for a women's football club in England.
63,063 fans attended the semi final clash between the two sides which is an incredible achievement for women's football. This is a huge stepping stone from the 1,500 match attendances Arsenal women were getting back in 2014.
The previous highest figure for a Women’s Champions League game in the UK was the quarter final between Arsenal and Bayern Munich, which saw a match attendance of 21,307.
This was then broken by Chelsea last weekend when 27,697 attended their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. However, this record was smashed by the match against Wolfsburg two nights ago.
With the first leg a 2-2 draw, it was all to play for in the second leg. Arsenal took an early lead from an early goal from Blackstenius inside the first 15 minutes. Wolfsburg however, managed to grab an equaliser right before halt time, bringing it level with 45 minutes to play.
Wolfsburg managed to go ahead in the match just before the 60th minute mark from a fabulous header by Popp. This really put the pressure on The Gunners to try and seal an equaliser. Arsenal managed to get one back from skipper, Beattie. It was a wonderful cross inswinging into the box from Wubben-Moy, following a set piece. Beattie was able to be in the right place at the right time and power it home.
This sent the match into extra time, after being 4-4 on aggregate. Despite breaking an English record, Arsenal couldn't manage to get over the line, as they lost to a last minute winner in extra time from Wolfsburg forward, Bremer. Brand was able to win the ball back with minutes to go, on the edge of the 18-yard box to play Bremer through, who could safely slot it home.
Arsenal captain, Leah Williamson posted on her instagram the following morning, stating how proud she was of her teammates, "So so proud of my teammates and my club, my family. That little girl honestly didn't believe a day like yesterday would be possible."
Although Arsenal couldn't manage to get through to the Champions League final, Monday was an excellent day for women's football nationally and was a brilliant stepping stone into getting more match day attendances at women's matches.