Article summary
- Arsenal women sold out 60,000 Emirates stadium capacity for their Champions league semi-final clash against Wolfsburg.
- This is the first time they will sell-out the stadium, and would mean over 240,000 tickets have been sold for Arsenal women games at the Emirates.
- Arsenal came from two goals down to draw the first leg 2-2, and would hope their record crowd can cheer them to victory.
- The winner of the tie will face Barcelona in the finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions league.
Arsenal women will play in front of a record sold-out Emirates stadium when they take on Wolfsburg in the second leg of UEFA Women’s Champions league semi-final on Monday evening.
Jonas Eidevall’s side held Wolfsburg to a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Germany, and will look to book their place in the showpiece at Eindhoven against Barcelona in the finals. They will be backed by a record 60,000 crowd.
A statement on the club’s official website partly said-
- “We’re delighted to confirm our UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Wolfsburg at Emirates Stadium on Monday, May 1 has now sold out, with more than 60,000 tickets purchased for the game.”
The statement also quoted Arsenal’s Chief Executive Vinai Venkatesham to have said:
- “It’s wonderful news that such a huge match for us has sold out. We would like to say thank you to our supporters, with all available tickets sold for Monday’s match.
- “We also say thank you for your fantastic support throughout the season – at Emirates Stadium, at Meadow Park and at grounds across England and Europe. It promises to be an exciting night in north London and we’re delighted that Jonas and our women’s first team will have the backing of so many supporters on this big occasion in the club’s history.”
In case you missed it
The Gunners have managed a crowd of over 40,000 supporters at the Emirates three times this season, and this latest sell-out will bring the total number of tickets sold to over 240,000.
Recall that Arsenal set the record for most attendance of a Barclays Women Super League game in September’s North London derby game against Tottenham, as over 53,000 tickets were sold on that occasion. They also held the record for highest attendance of a Women’s Champions League game in the UK when over 21,000 fans watched them edge Bayern Munich in the UWCL quarter-finals. The record was slightly edged by Chelsea in their semi-final clash versus Barcelona last weekend.
Arsenal saw their chances of reaching the Champions league final for the second time in their history slipping through their hands, as they conceded two goals in the opening 24 minutes of the first leg against Wolfsburg, but it took a resurgent display to restore parity ahead of the second leg. Rafaelle Souza pulled a goal back just before half time to give Arsenal a foothold before Stina Blackstenius scored a 69th-minute equalizer.
What you should know
Jonas Eidevall’s side has been unbeaten in their last nine home matches in all competitions, and will count on the record crowd as an added advantage for them when they welcome Wolfsburg to the Emirates. They have already beaten German opposition this season, after beating Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. But have lost in their two previous two-legged European ties against Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg have won two of their previous European semi-final ties against English oppositions, beating Arsenal in 2012/13 and Chelsea in 2017/18.
Arsenal will be missing the services of Leah William, Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema. They are all out with anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Kim Little and Lina Hurtig are also sidelined, while Gio Quieroz and Jodie Taylor are not registered in the Champions League.
Despite injuries to key players, Jonas Eidevall’s team has shown a true sense of determination in recent games. A comeback win against Chelsea in the Continental cup final, Manchester City in the league, and Bayern in the last round. They will need to another brave performance at the Emirates on Monday in front of a record sell-out crowd.