Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0
Ian Wright perfectly summed up Arsenal’s night in Madrid.
While Renée Slegers’ side suffered a damaging defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, with goals from Linda Caicedo and Athenea del Castillo giving Real Madrid a 2-0 victory, the biggest talking point was not the game, but the state of the pitch.
At half-time, an angry Wright took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the abysmal playing surface at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium.
“Watching the Champions League quarter-final Real Madrid pitch, this is worse than Derby’s pitch the other day,” Wright said.
“This is a f------ disgrace the pitches these girls have to play on.”
Wright is not wrong. Three days prior to this game, Chelsea and Manchester City had played the League Cup final at Derby’s Pride Park. Their pitch was described as “not fit for a final” by Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert.
This Real Madrid surface was barely acceptable for a Sunday League match. It was in part responsible for their first goal, with Leah Williamson failing to control the ball due to the conditions, which allowed Caicedo to pounce and finish.
It was also to blame for the injury Real Madrid’s Melanie Leupolz suffered in the second half, with the midfielder getting her studs caught in the mud as she tried to play a pass forwards.
Arsenal could not blame the pitch for Del Castillo’s goal, which was a combination of poor defending and goalkeeping from Manuela Zinsberger. They will have to be better when they face Real Madrid in the second leg next week. At least they can be certain the surface at the Emirates will be up to standard.
Full report to follow…
07:58 PM GMT
Arsenal to start 2-0 down
At the Emirates next Wednesday night at 8pm. It’s not irretrievable but they have done significant damage to their chances tonight.
07:56 PM GMT
There’s a lot of anger about the pitch at Alfredo Di Stéfano
This pitch is barely enough for Sunday League never mind a Champions League quarter final.
Thinking it's ok sends the following message:
- We don't care about player safety
- We don't care about the quality of the game
- Actually, we just don't carepic.twitter.com/eiSy9s6hY4— Anton Toloui (@SkyAnton) March 18, 2025
Pitch conditions are beyond unacceptable - just should not be happening. A risk on player's health, how the game progresses and effects the level of football played. Seriously bad.
This is a UWCL quarter-final fixture.
— SHE scores bangers (@SHEscoresbanger) March 18, 2025
I didn't think I would see a horrible pitch after the league cup final but this Real Madrid pitch is even worse.
— Mina Ibrahim (@MinaFootball) March 18, 2025
07:40 PM GMT
Full time: Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0
Real Madrid deserved that. They coped with the bog of a pitch much better than Arsenal and hit them twice on the break, both of them assisted by errors, first by Williamson failing to make a routine trap of a pass and then by Zinzberger letting a shot burst through her hands.
07:38 PM GMT
90+5 min: Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0
Last throw of the dice with an Arsenal corner, before which Misa is booked for grappling. Arsenal are crowded out on the box and forced to take a speculative shot from miles out.
07:36 PM GMT
90+3 min: Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0
McCabe crosses it in and Williamson’s header strikes a Real Madrid hand but from close range and not in an unnatural position, VAR confirms.
07:34 PM GMT
90+1 min: Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0
The first of five minutes of stoppage time end with Arsenal awarded a free-kick when Carmona slid in on Fox and the pitch took her further than she intended. Yellow card, too.
07:32 PM GMT
90 min: Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0
Yellow card for Elthorne Park High School’s finest, Chloe Kelly, for blocking off Carmona as she tried to run up the left touchline.
07:30 PM GMT
88 min: Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0
Fox, in a decent shooting position 20 yards out, goes instead to stand up a diagonal to the far post that Misa grabs easily.
07:29 PM GMT
86 min: Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0
Real Madrid defend an Arsenal free-kick on the right, bent in by McCabe. safely with a combination of the keeper’s firm punch and hustling the ball upfield.
07:25 PM GMT
GOAL!
Real Madrid 2 Arsenal 0 (Del Castillo) Poor defending. Arsenal retreat, run back towards their goal as Athenea del Castillo drives down the indie-left. Given the invitation to shoot she RSVPs by putting her laces through it and Zinsberger, at full stretch, gets both hands to it but spills it.
07:24 PM GMT
83 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
The corners have been universally poor at picking out Arsenal players and the latest is no exception.
07:24 PM GMT
81 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Williamson has a chance from a back post header but the keeper’s slight touch messed up her connection. Foord drives back up the wing and her shot is blocked and turned behind.
07:22 PM GMT
79 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Caldentey and Foord make good progress up the left but the pass intended for Russo from the Australian is not good enough. Kelly manages to salvage a corner.
07:20 PM GMT
77 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
McCabe meets a run into the box to meet Little’s cute headed pass but it bounces off her chest on to her arm and the ref blows for a free-kick.
07:19 PM GMT
75 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Little’s positioning to thwart Feller is perfect again as the ball squirts about the Arsenal box.
07:18 PM GMT
73 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Walti → Cooney-Cross
Del Castillo → Bruun
Feller → Caicedo
The commentators seem to think that Arsenal would not want to take a deficit back to the Emirates next week. I think 1-0 wouldn’t faze then too badly. Two and they would have a problem.
07:15 PM GMT
71 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Better from Arsenal who pepper the Real box with crosses from Caldentey and Little but the scraps they hope would fall to the feet of Kelly and Russo keep spinning away.
07:14 PM GMT
69 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Real break and Weir thunders a right-foot shot that Zinsberger saves with a parry. Bruun tries to capitalise on the rebound and goes down when challenged by McCabe who makes a diving motion. The ref just awards the goal-kick.
07:12 PM GMT
66 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Big penalty shout from Arsenal after Williamson mops up at the back as Caicedo tried to run on to a loose ball. She moves it up the right and then in to Russo who bends a pass with the outside of her foot up the inside right. Kelly runs on to it, chased by Mendez who manages to toe it away before Kelly could shoot.
07:07 PM GMT
63 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Irune → Leupolz
Real Madrid defend an Arsenal corner on the left solidly despite good work from Foord.
It’s a Champions League debut for Irune at the age of 16.
I’m assuming Leupolz is walking round the pitch because it’s not as serious as first thought rather than there is no stretcher. I hope the former...
07:04 PM GMT
61 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Leupolz goes down in agony after putting her foot through the ball and holds her right knee. She yells and bursts into tears. Looks a bad one... but after treatment she manages to get to her feet and goes to the touchline to walk back to the dugout.
07:01 PM GMT
59 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Arsenal corner after McCabe joined Foord’s attack on the overlap and her cross was bundled behind. Angeldal boots the corner away after a team-mate had won the first header.
07:00 PM GMT
57 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
A goalmouth scramble from an Arsenal cross raises the away fans’ blood until the ref blows for offside.
06:59 PM GMT
55 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Panic in the Arsenal box when Zinsberger dives to collect a cross but it bursts through her fingers and Little and Fox scramble it away by the seat of their pants before Caicedo could gobble it up.
06:57 PM GMT
53 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Kelly attempts an up and under of a cross/shot that Misa drops under the crossbar but manages to sit on it. Foord, who was the closest Arsenal player, had turned to run back towards her own goal anticipating that she would make a clean catch.
06:55 PM GMT
51 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Arsenal free-kick on the left after a foul on Foord. Cooney-Cross takes it again and it’s rubbish from here again, straight to the first defensive sentries. Real Madrid shift it upfield rapidly to Caicedo who skates into the box, shimmies to try to get it on her left but Fox manages to get back and telescope a leg round to make the tackle.
06:53 PM GMT
50 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Kelly tries a speculative diagonal with her left from the right rouchline through the middle for Russo to chase but Mendez, who has been terrific tonight, is there first again.
06:51 PM GMT
48 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Kelly is on the right with Russo up top, Mariona behind her and Foord on the left.
Carmona’s long throw is picked off and Caldentey drives up the right before she is stopped with a foul. Arsenal work it up the toychline to Russo who spins elegantly to cross but cannot beat the first defender.
Almost as if Renee Slegers was reading this blog... Chloe Kelly on a half-time. Arsenal need an injection of life, perhaps she can bring it? Caitlin Foord on too...
Ian Wright is watching this game and he’s taken to Instagram to share his thoughts on the pitch. It’s fair to say he’s not impressed...
Wright: “Watching the Champions League quarter-final Real Madrid pitch, this is worse than Derby’s pitch the other day. This is a f------ disgrace the pitches these girls have to play on.”
06:49 PM GMT
46 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Most of the players have fresh kit on but not Angeldal who looks like a Baseball Ground mudlark of yore.
Arsenal make two changes:
Kelly → Blackstenius
Foord → Mead.
06:34 PM GMT
Half-time verdict
Well, that was not a great half for Arsenal. They were the favourites coming into this tie but a defensive lapse leaves them with it all to do in the second half. Renee Slegers would probably take a draw, with the aim of getting the job done at the Emirates next week. She won’t want to go into that second leg with a 1-0 deficit.
The conditions and the poor state of the pitch has made it really difficult for both teams to play any football. Real Madrid are handling it better than Arsenal. Stina Blackstenius probably had their best chance, which Misa Rodriguez saved. Beth Mead then sent a good volley wide just before half-time. They could do with getting Mariona Caldentey more involved in the second half. I could also see Chloe Kelly coming on at some point as Arsenal have been lacking a bit of pace and skill on the wing.
06:32 PM GMT
Half-time: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Not much in it apart from a big mistake from Williamson which gift-wrapped a goal for the excellent Caicedo.
06:31 PM GMT
45 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Arsenal free-kick for Angeldal’s foul on Russo, 35 yards out right of centre. Cooney-Cross’s diagonal is headed out to the right of the D and Mead met it sweetly on the half-volley to send it whistling a foot wide of the left post.
06:29 PM GMT
44 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Sheila slides in to tackle Mariona and concedes a corner on the left. Mead takes it, bending it to the far post where Russo scrambles it down when well marked and Catley, back to goal, tries something spectacular but drags it behind.
06:28 PM GMT
42 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Mariona is given another hopeful ball to chase. As Lucy Ward points out. She needs it to feet not ahead of her, especially with Sheila García sitting off her to mop up anything hit in front of the winger.
06:26 PM GMT
40 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Little comes back to help Fox deal with the slippery Caicedo who is clearly the dangerwoman.
06:25 PM GMT
38 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Carmona floats a deep cross towards the penalty spot. Bruun, neatly sandwiched, meets it with the top of her head rather than her forehead and loops it up and wide of goal for Zinsberger to pat down and try to start a quick counter.
06:23 PM GMT
36 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Mariona and McCabe link up on the left for the Spain forward to whip a cross in that is bludgeoned away and Russo cannot control the ball that is fired under her feet.
06:20 PM GMT
34 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Arsenal take the corner short to McCabe who whips a cross in from the 90 degree angle of the box. Cooney-Cross shovels it towards goal but she can’t beat the blockade of white shirts.
06:19 PM GMT
32 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Arsenal corner on the right after Toletti goes out to that side to help Carmona deal with Russo.
06:17 PM GMT
29 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Real Madrid create a half chance for Angeldal cutting into the box off the right wing to meet the cross from the left but McCabe had tracked the run and got her foot to the ball first before being trodden on by the right-sided forward.
06:16 PM GMT
27 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Weir wastes a free-kick that Russo defends easily.
06:13 PM GMT
25 min: Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0
Uncharacteristically sloppy from Williamson and she may well point to the pitch but that’s no excuse after 20 minutes.
Oh that’s a horrible mistake from Leah Williamson, just seemed to completely misjudge the weight of the ball. Linda Caicedo, who was always going to be Real Madrid’s most dangerous player along with Caroline Weir, produced a fantastic finish. A great pass from Weir too to send her through.
06:07 PM GMT
GOAL!
Real Madrid 1 Arsenal 0 (Caicedo) Garcia picks off Russo’s pass on the edge of her own box and shifts it up to Weir who drives forward and arrows a low pass up the inside-left channel that Williamson tries to trap but lets the ball graze her studs and squirt through to Caicedo. The Colombia forward pounces on to the gift, holds off Fox and calmly slots it past Zinsberger into the bottom left from 16 yards.
06:06 PM GMT
20 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
McCabe takes the corner on the right with her left and bends it on to the roof of the net.
06:06 PM GMT
18 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
Mariona tries a long shot that goes nowhere but Arsenal win the first challenge from the goal-kick and Russo slides Blackstenius through on goal down the inside-left. She hammers a shot across goal, seeking the right corner with her left instep and Misa dives to slap it behind.
06:04 PM GMT
16 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
Fox needs all her tenacity and diligence to stick with the slippery and dangerous Caicedo who was dribbling down the left, taking her one way then the other but was then forced back to face her own goal and lay it off.
A reminder that Real Madrid’s women’s team have never played at the Bernabéu, which is sitting empty during the men’s international break. I’m sure that pitch would have been able to deal with the rain conditions better than the Alfredo Di Stéfano – which is only getting worse by the minute.
06:01 PM GMT
14 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
The Arsenal fans are in a variety of rainwear, from those massive wild swimmer’s capes to ponchos. No Gannex as far as I can tell. Fox slips when passing to Mead who skims a diagonal into the box just beyond Blackstenius.
05:59 PM GMT
12 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
Russo finds some space down the right after good work from Fox and she clips a cross to the near post but Blackstenius was on her heels and favouring the far-post split. Would have taken a hell of a cross to beat all the white shirts and ick out the sole black one at the back stick.
05:55 PM GMT
10 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
Arsenal keep looking for Blackstenius, this time with a long throw, and again Mendez is well positioned to stop her running through. Absolute porridge of a pitch, which is why Arsenal are trying to bypass it with the aerial route for long balls.
05:53 PM GMT
8 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
Mendez stays with Blackstenius as Arsenal try another long ball over the top for the Sweden striker to chase. Mendez keeps up with her and shepherds it back to her keeper.
05:52 PM GMT
6 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
Weir has some time on the ball on the right of midfield, trying to open a path to goal for a left-foot strike but is forced further on to her weaker foot and she lays it off to Angeldal.
Real Madrid’s pitch looks nothing short of abysmal. There’s been a lot of rain in Madrid, we’re told. I know Derby’s pitch was bad at the weekend but this looks a lot worse. Not sure it will play into Arsenal’s hands
05:50 PM GMT
4 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
Real Madrid press high to try to force Arsenal to boot it long but they are confident enough to play through it. Little strides forward and threads a pass down the inside-right for Blackstenius who is cleaned out fairly in a sliding challenge for Mendez abetted by the slick pitch.
05:48 PM GMT
3 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
The pitch is properly sodden, the ball hitting the turf kicks up a spray of water. Angeldal tries to float a deep cross from the right beyond the back post that Fox deals with easily.
05:47 PM GMT
1 min: Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 0
The pitch looks very heavy after all the rain. We have VAR, which is paid for by Uefa, but no goal-line technology, which has to be funded by the home side, if they so choose. Arsenal kick off, attacking from right to left, and work the ball all the way back to Williamson who pops it off up the right. The ball gets away from Mead and Real Madrid mop it up and play it across their back four until they lose it in midfield and Arsenal give Blackstenius one to chase up the middle that she can’t reach.
05:43 PM GMT
The teams come out
Sparse crowd ion the rain. Three hundred Arsenal fans have travelled. Real Madrid in all white, Arsenal in their pan-African flag away kit.
05:39 PM GMT
The boss joins in with the warm-up
05:31 PM GMT
TNT Sports
Doesn’t bother with much build-up for these matches. Straight in and straight out which contrasts with their elephantine preview shows before the men’s tournament. I much prefer the minimalist approach.
05:15 PM GMT
Look who’s back
05:06 PM GMT
Your teams in black and white
Real Madrid Misa Rodrígues; Shei García, Lakrar, Mendez, Carmona; Toletti, Leupolz, Angeldal; Caicedo, Weir; Bruun.
Subtitutes Laia, Sofia, Antonia, Redondo, Yasmin, Moller, Carmacho, Navarro, Feller, Del Castillo, Noe, Irune.
Arsenal Zinsberger; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe; Little, Cooney-Cross; Mariona, Russo, Mead; Blackstenius.
Subtitutes Williams, Codina, Ilestedt, Nighswonger, Reid, Walti, Pelova, Maanum, Kelly, Foord, Kafaji, Hurtig.
Referee Frida Klarlun (Denmark)
05:01 PM GMT
Fox on the run
A big plus for Arsenal that Emily Fox is fit to start at right back after limping off against Everton. Chloe Kelly drops to the bench, as does Frida Maanum, with Kyra Cooney-Cross and Stina Blackstenius replacing them. It’s an attacking line-up from Renée Slegers.
04:46 PM GMT
Arsenal team news
⚫️ ???????????????????????????????? ????
???? Cooney-Cross in the centre
⚡ Mead and Mariona up top
????️ Blackstenius leads the lineCOME ON YOU GUNNERS ????
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 18, 2025
04:45 PM GMT
Real Madrid team news
04:39 PM GMT
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04:37 PM GMT
Preview: Second chance
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the first leg of the 2024-25 Women’s Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid Femenino and Arsenal Women from Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano. Both sides are second in their domestic leagues, Real Madrid seven points behind Barcelona and Arsenal eight behind Chelsea who, coincidentally, beat Real twice in the group stage and Arsenal twice in the WSL.
Renée Slegers took over as Arsenal head coach, initially as caretaker, a couple of days after their 5-2 away defeat by Bayern Munich in their opening group game, replacing Jonas Eidevall. Under her leadership, Arsenal won their remaining five group games, scoring 15 and conceding only four, a revival that earned her a full-time if only 1½-year contract in January. Real managed to park their twin defeats by Chelsea to batter Twente and Celtic home and away to bag qualification for the knockout rounds comfortably in second place and now are striving to make the semi-finals for the first time in their history.
Arsenal, winners in 2006-07, have never played Real Madrid before but the players will be pretty familiar from battles on the international stage and Spain’s World Cup-winning wingers, Mariona Caldentey and Alba Redondo line up on opposite sides while the captain and matchwinner from that defeat of England in the 2023 final in Australia, Olga Carmona, will lead Las Blancas out tonight.
The home side will not be able to call on Teresa Abelleira, the anchor of the world champions’ midfield, is out with an ACL injury but Scotland and former Arsenal and Man City midfielder, who sat out Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Deportivo Abanca, should be fit to return. Slegers’ side have travelled without the injured defender Lotte Wubben-Moy and should bring back Beth Mead and Caitlin Foord who started Friday’s 3-1 victory over Everton on the bench. First choice Dutch keeper Daphne van Domselaar sat out that match with concussion and may well have to let Austria’s and the former Gunners’ No 1 Manuela Zinsberger deputise for her again.
