Superb strike secures Arsenal semi-final place
The Independent|March 30, 2023
Arsenal win 2-1 on aggregate
Superb strike secures Arsenal semi-final place

Arsenal Maanum (19), Blackstenius (26) 2

Bayern Munich 0

You must have seen the goal by now. You must have. If not, go and find it, and drink in its four seconds of angular magnificence. It's the goal that changed everything for Arsenal, on the night they truly made the Emirates their home in the Women's Champions League.

There have been so many nearly-moments in this competition, some of them here. Occasions when Arsenal didn't look up to this level or ready for this stage. This could have been another: Arsenal were 10 years without a Champions League semi-final, while Bayern Munich arrived on the back of a 14-match win streak, and with a one-goal advantage.

How Frida Maanum changed that. How Lia Walti changed that, with her first-time pass through to Stina Blackstenius to start it all. Then there was the lay-off to Leah Williamson - intricate and precise - leading to the flick. How the Arsenal captain saw Maanum is another question, but it formed a neat square on the edge of the Bayern box. Maanum took two steps back and swung, the shot rising perfectly, completing a sequence of meticulous touches, an exhibition of trigonometry.

This story is from the March 30, 2023 edition of The Independent.

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This story is from the March 30, 2023 edition of The Independent.

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