Women’s football

JONAS EIDEVALL wants Arsenal to turn the frustration of their loss to Bayern Munich around by knocking them out of the Champions League. The Gunners chief believes his side are capable of beating any team in Europe as they target a contest semis spot.  
Jonas Eidevall believes Arsenal are capable of beating any side in EuropeCredit: Getty
The Gunners fell to a narrow 1-0 loss Bayern in the first-leg of this term’s Champions League quarter-finalsCredit: Getty
Bayern come into this game off the back off a 1-0 win against Wolfsburg in the Frauen BundesligaCredit: Getty
A Wednesday night win of at least 2-0 at the Emirates would see the Gunners enter the contest semis for the first time in a decade. 
The Arsenal boss said: “With the squad that we have here, we can beat any team at any time. 
“We know it’s going to be determined with small details, but I feel with this squad of players, against any team in the world we play, I know we have a chance of beating them.
“Having that feeling is one of the greatest feelings to have because then you know that everything is possible.”
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The Gunners’ first-leg quarter’s clash with their opponents saw them fall to a 1-0 loss at the Allianz Arena. 
And Eidevall was left frustrated after seeing a few of his side’s penalty appeals dismissed.
He also questioned Bayern’s decision not to use goal line tech which will be in place at the Emirates. 
 The Gunners’ chief, who criticised how VAR was deployed last time out, said: “I wasn’t necessarily unhappy with the technology. 
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“It was more the people (officials) that were sitting there as I still think they had choices to make.
“But with the frustration felt after that game, we have to turn that into action and use that positive energy. 
“We can’t focus on what has been, we have to focus on what’s in front of us and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves.
“One of my favourite sayings is you can’t have both results and excuses – you have to choose one of them. 
“I will always go for the results and that’s the way we will look at that situation and where we have to go looking forwards.”
Arsenal have so far sold 19,600 tickets for their Emirates clash with Bayern.
This is a significant rise on the 5,018 tickets flogged ahead of their Champions League quarters home tie last year.
The game comes a day after Sarina Wiegman named her England squad ahead of friendlies against Brazil and Australia
Gunners’ centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy is among high-profile omissions from the 25-strong group. 
Eidevall added: “I can definitely understand if Lotte is disappointed with not being called up.
“When she has started for us she has played very well. The competition to get into England is very tough.
“We all know what an incredible talent and character she is, and I’m sure she will find her way back.”
Arsenal are currently the only English side to have triumphed in the Women’s Champions League with the team lifting the trophy under Vic Akers back in 2007.
Their match comes a night before Chelsea’s quarter-final decider against Lyon at Stamford Bridge with the Blues aiming to win the contest for the first time. 
The last time an Arsenal side played in the semi-finals was back in April 2013 with the team losing 4-1 on aggregrate to Wolfsburg.
While Eidevall admits Gunners’ progressing to the semis would be pleasing, he has no intention of resting on his laurels. 
The Arsenal gaffer added: “It’s not like I’m going to retire and lay on a beach somewhere thinking what a great achievement that was.
“You have to make the most of the opportunity. 
Arsenal’s game comes a day after Leah Williamson topped this year’s BBC Radio Four Women’s Hour Power ListCredit: Getty
“To be a champion of a continent is probably the greatest thing you can win in club football in Europe. 
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“And it’s something that we are very proud of in our history. If we in the future could repeat that, it would be great. 
“Like I said, I have to believe that we can beat any on any given day so let’s make the most of it.” More

HANNAH HAMPTON has been named in England’s squad five months after being dropped last October due to “personal issues”. The goalkeeper, 22 who had been left out of Lionesses’ last three camps, will rejoin ahead of fixtures against Brazil and Australia. 
Hannah Hampton is set to the Lionesses camp for the first time since last summer’s EurosCredit: Getty
Esme Morgan has also been re-called to Sarina Wiegman’s squad ahead of England’s games against Brazil and Australia in AprilCredit: Alamy
Sarina Wiegman believes return for Mead for the World Cup could be too earlyCredit: AP
Her return follows some impressive shifts between the sticks for Aston Villa with the club reaching the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals for the first time this year. 
England chief Wiegman, 53, said: “As I’ve said over all the other camps, Hannah needed to sort out some personal issues – she’s done that. 
“She has shown great performances. She has shown consistency and done that at her club first, so I thought this is the moment to bring her in.”
Hampton, who made her senior international debut in a 0-0 draw against Spain last February, was part of the squad that triumphed at last summer’s Euros 
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But the Villa ace was dropped before two World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Luxembourg in September, and friendlies against the Czech Republic and the USA in October.
She was also omitted ahead of games against Japan and Norway in November amid reports of alleged attitude concerns. 
Since then she has helped her club climb to fifth in the WSL keeping two clean sheets in their last three league games. 
Wiegman, who today named her 25-strong squad ahead of their two World Cup warm-up games next month, admits Beth Mead is not in her tournament plans. 
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But the England chief is open to reconsidering if “a miracle happens” with the Arsenal forward’s rehab from an ACL injury.  
Wiegman added: “I had a conversation with Beth. She’s continuing her rehab: she’s doing good, but the World Cup is actually too early. 
“So what we’ve said is, she’s not in our plans now, so she’s just really taking the time to get back well.
“But if a miracle happens and she goes so fast, then we’ll reconsider.”
The Lionesses, who are currently unbeaten under Wiegman, will play Brazil at Wembley on Tuesday 6 April in the first ever Women’s Finalissima.
The Euros winners then face World Cup co-hosts Australia at Brentford’s ground on April 11 as part of their preparations for the tournament this summer. 
Man City defender Esme Morgan is back in the squad with uncapped West Ham defender Lucy also named. 
But Lotte Wubben-Moy, Katie Zelem and Ebony Salmon have been dropped along with injured goalkeeper Emily Ramsey.
Millie Bright is expected to return action for Chelsea this week after hobbling against Lyon last WednesdayCredit: Getty
England vice-captain Millie Bright has been included with Wiegman hopeful the Chelsea centre-back will be fit for duels with the Selecao and the Matildas. 
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She said: “Millie is being assessed by her club. They have a Champions League (game) and then (a match) against Aston Villa on Sunday. 
“I hope everything goes well and she can have good games or progress this week and can come in.”
England Women’s SquadGoalkeepers:
Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Sandy MacIver (Manchester City), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City)
Defenders: 
Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lucy Parker (West Ham), Leah Williamson (Arsenal)
Midfielders: 
Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona)
Forwards:
Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Jess Park (Everton), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Katie Robinson (Brighton) More

GARETH TAYLOR hailed Lauren Hemp for helping Manchester City punish Chelsea whilst contending with an ear infection. Filippa Angeldahl’s angled strike and Hemp’s fierce finish sealed a 2-0 victory halting City’s 11-game winless WSL run against the Blues.
Filippa Angeldahl’s stunning opener paved the way for a hardfought Man City victory against ChelseaCredit: Alamy
The win for Gareth Taylor’s side saw the title race become much tighter with just three points seperating Manchester United and Man City from Arsenal who are fourthCredit: Alamy
Steph Houghton and Lauren Hemp impressed for Gareth Taylor’s against ChelseaCredit: Reuters
It saw Gareth Taylor’s aces go second above Chelsea before their clash with fourth-placed Arsenal this coming Sunday. 
The City gaffer said: “We looked dangerous on the break and I was mulling over getting fresh legs on 
“But I think sometimes, when you’re in the moment like that, it’s really difficult. 
“The one change we made was more because Lauren has been suffering and she didn’t train on Saturday. 
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“She is suffering with an ear infection and pushed herself to the limit in this game.”
City’s Sunday afternoon win at the Academy Stadium was watched by Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican sprint king is in town to take part in Soccer Aid as captain of a world XI side.
The 100m world-record holder is said to have asked Hemp for her shirt after the game.  
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And the fleet-footed winger quipped it was a case of “fast meeting faster” in a humorous tweet with a picture of herself and Bolt holding her club jersey.
City defender Esme Morgan said: “Lauren ground away, scored an amazing goal and she does graft so hard. 
“She’s always there fighting, pressing  and battling, and I’ve heard Usain Bolt just asked for her shirt and she’s just so impressed. 
Morgan added: “Lauren came up to me after the game and said ‘Esme, guess who just asked for my shirt?’ 
“I was racking my head through the Chelsea team thinking, ‘who has she had a battle with who might have wanted it after?’. 
“When I couldn’t think of anyone, she said Usain Bolt. I couldn’t believe it! It must be the pace.
Before the match Man City had drawn six and lost five of their last 11 WSL games against Chelsea with their last win registered in May 2017.
The match was watched by Sarina Wiegman with the England boss due to name her squad before the Lionesses’ games against Brazil and Australia in April. 
Emma Hayes’ side got off to a fast start in attack with Sam Kerr and Lauren James jetting into the box within the opening two minutes. 
But City took control of the first spell taking advantage of a short clearance with Angeldahl firing home an angled 11th-minute opener. 
Hemp made it 2-0 nineteen minutes later with a finely struck effort with the visitors facing pressure in the final third. 
Chelsea, missing the presence of Millie Bright who is temporarily sidelined by injury, rang the changes before half-time. 
James and Sophie Ingle made way for Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Niamh Charles with Hayes shoring up her defence and midfield. 
The second spell saw the Blues attempt to boost their attacking efforts with a Maren Mjelde’s injury-time shot over the bar, among their strongest efforts.
Emma Hayes’ side aim to return to winning ways when they face Lyon next in a Champions League quarter-final deciderCredit: Reuters
The result saw the title holders fall to their first WSL loss of the season before their Champions League quarters decider with Lyon on Thursday.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said:”We’ve got to move on as quickly as possible. 
“I don’t think people realise how tough it is to come up here with our third away game in seven days, really really tough.
“We’ve still got a game in hand, we need to maximise that. It’s fantastic for the league that the title race is like this.”
Taylor concurred that the title was still Chelsea’s to lose while acknowledge had taken a huge step forward in their battle to win it. 
Gareth Taylor hopes to keep Man City’s title chase momentum going when his team visit ArsenalCredit: Reuters
He added: ‘To be in this position now from where we were is top. 
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“We’ve not done anything yet, we’ve still got some important games to come, six games left,  a lot of challenges in front of us but we go into it with high levels of confidence. 
“It’s still Chelsea’s title to lose if we look at it that way but it’s a real positive step for us and gives us great confidence going into this next period.” More

JULIE BLAKSTAD believes there may be a silver lining to Manchester City’s quarter-final exit from the FA Cup. It leaves Gareth Taylor’s side free to focus solely on overtaking their rivals in a four-way fight for this season’s title. 
Julie Blakstad believes expects this season’s title race to remain really tight until the end of this seasonCredit: Alamy
The midfielder’s side are set to face Chelsea at a sell-out Academy Stadium clashCredit: Reuters
Blackstad says playing in last season’s Conti Cup and FA Cup finals has been the highlight of her first year as a Man City playerCredit: Getty
A home win for the Citizens against Chelsea today would be a significant step in their bid to claim the WSL crown for the first time under Taylor.  
It would see them go level on points with Marc Skinner’s Man United side and one ahead of the Blues who have a game in hand.
Blakstad, 21, told SunSport: “There are both positives and negatives to going out of the FA Cup.
“Now we can put all our attention into the league. 
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“We would have preferred to advance in the competition.
“However with things going the way they did, we can fully focus on the league and it’s going to be a really tight race.
“There are some tough games coming up.
“It’s probably good for us to get more training time in between league fixtures and we can really focus on those seven (WSL) games we have left.”
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City’s league cup-winning and FA Cup final exploits last year are among Blakstad’s favourite memories of her first year at the club.  
The midfielder, who is among Norway’s rising stars, sealed a January switch from seven-time Norwegian top-tier champions Rosenborg. 
Since then, she has helped the Academy Stadium giants to a memorable Conti Cup win last March.
Back then, they beat  Chelsea 3-1 at Plough Lane with Blackstad making a second half substitute appearance.
She also featured in last term’s FA Cup final where Taylor’s side fell to a 3-2 loss to Emma Hayes’ Blues after taking the battle for the trophy to extra time. 
Blakstad added: “When we won the Conti Cup final, that was for me a big achievement and quite early after I came to the club. 
“It was a really big thing to play in the FA Cup final even though we lost, 
“Having a crowd of almost 50,000 people watching the game and with that atmosphere was a big moment 
Before her WSL move, Blakstad who grew up in a village located 59 miles from Norway’s capital Oslo, spent two years at Rosenborg. 
The club, founded in 1917, competes in the country’s top football league known as the Toppserien. 
And Blakstad sees the contrast in pace and physicality in Norway’s top tier and the WSL as one of the biggest differences between the divisions. 
The City ace, named in Uefa’s ‘ten players to watch list’ in 2021, adds “The level is much higher here and that was what I expected. 
“It’s a good thing when you move out that you actually take a step forward. 
“The biggest difference is how quick the players are both in the legs but also in their heads in terms of their play. 
“The game is much quicker, and more physical as well on the pitch.”
Blakstad admits swapping Norway for life in England’s third most populated city has been an interesting experience. 
The midfield ace said: “When I first came here, everyone was so helpful, and it was nice settling in. 
“But I would say it’s a difference for me living in a big city like Manchester when I’m used to going out hiking and out in the forest.”
Today City hope to pick up their first win against Chelsea in the league for the first time since May 2017. 
The game could see Blakstad take to the field against national team-mate Guro Reiten who has registered four goals and nine assists in 13 WSL appearances this term. 
Blakstad expects Guro Reiten will be key figure at the World Cup this summerCredit: Getty
Blakstad said: “She has been incredible both for her club and also our national team. 
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“For Norway it’s important when we go into the World Cup that we have players doing really well at a club like Chelsea.
“Guro is going to be important for us this summer.”  More

JONAS EIDEVALL hopes Arsenal’s demolition of Tottenham will be a confidence booster for his aces’ battle with Bayern Munich. The Gunners shredded Spurs defence in a 5-1 trouncing before their Champions League quarters second leg clash with the German giants.
Jonas Eidevall says Arsenal have built good momentum ahead of their Champions League and WSL games against Bayern Munich and Manchester CityCredit: Getty
Stina Blackstenius broke the deadlock for the Gunners five minutes into the 5-1 defeat of TottenhamCredit: Getty
Spurs’ only goal of the game was netted by Bethany England from the penalty spotCredit: Getty
The Arsenal chief’s team fell to a narrow loss last time in out in Europe’s top club contest, with Bayern claiming a 1-0 win in the first leg. 
Eidevall, whose side will face the German giants at the Emirates, said: “We’ve built a good momentum coming into these games against Bayern Munich and against (Manchester) City.
“Now it’s up to us to execute it. Hopefully we go into the games with a good bit of self-confidence.
“You can’t prioritise one or the other because we’re at the stage with this league where it is so competitive. 
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“You need to try to do your very, very best to win these games and an away game here (at Tottenham) is always going to be a challenge 
“But Bayern are in the same situation. They’ve played against Wolfsburg and that is not a game they can take easy.”
The pitch at Brisbane Road, which Tottenham share with Championship side Leyton Orient, was not in pristine condition on Saturday afternoon. 
But it appeared to make little difference to Arsenal when they took an early lead through Stina Blackstenius’ rocket shot. 
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Eidevall added: “You need to try to do your very, very best to win these games and an away game (at Tottenham) is always going to be a challenge 
“But Bayern are in the same situation. They’ve played against Wolfsburg and that is not a game they can take easy
“It is two teams with tough games and we will be ready to go on a grass pitch that’s a little bit better on Wednesday.”
Blackstenius gave the Gunners a fifth-minute lead with her thunderbolt finish catching goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela cold and out of position.
Caitlin Foord doubled Arsenal’s advantage dancing her way unchallenged through Spurs defence in the 29th minute. 
The hosts pulled one back with Bethany England converting a 39th-minute spot-kick after Katie McCabe’s handball following Ashleigh Neville’s shot. 
But the second spell saw Arsenal run Spurs ragged with Little netting a pen in the 66th minute after McCabe was fouled by Amy Turner. 
Jodie Taylor made her first appearance for Arsenal after rejoining the club for a second spell earlier this monthCredit: Getty
Foord bagged her second shortly after before Frida Maanum rifled home a goal of the season contender to round off a difficult afternoon for Spurs. 
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Tottenham boss Vicky Jepson said: “When they go 3-1 up it was probably the nail in the coffin.
“The final whistle goes in a North London derby and it should never be that scoreline.” More

PAUL KONCHESKY would support halting evening games during Ramadan so the WSL’s Muslim players can break their fast. The West Ham gaffer spoke out after Prem and EFL refs were asked to grant similar stoppages. 
Paul Konchesky would back pauses in WSL games so players who are Muslim can break their fast during RamadanCredit: Getty
West Ham ace Hawa Cissoko is among the WSL stars who will be fasting in daylight hours during RamadanCredit: Reuters
Ramadan began on Thursday and is one of the holiest months when Muslims abstain from eating and drinking in daylight hours. 
Irons centreback Hawa Cissoko and Aston Villa’s Kenza Dali are among WSL players set to fast over the next month. 
Konchesky, whose side play Manchester United this evening, said: “We must back these players. 
“We need to have all their cylinders firing and if that means Hawa gets to break fast during a game and we have to stop for two or three minutes, so be it. 
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“Not just for Hawa but for every person that fasts during Ramadan in the WSL.” 
Tonight’s game will see Konchesky in the Old Trafford away dugout as West Ham Women’s manager for the first time since his appointment last May. 
And the match could see Irons stalwart Kate Longhurst equal Gilly Flaherty’s record of 177 WSL appearances. 
Konchesky added: “That’s a massive thing for Kate. For any player that makes 177 appearances in WSL it’s a fantastic achievement. 
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“She has been an excellent servant for us and it would be nice for her to do that at a club she supports.”
Man United, who have lost just twice in the league this term, will host a West Ham side  winless in five games since beating Tottenham away in December 
However Marc Skinner is wary of the Irons potential to steal points on the road. 
 The Red Devils boss, 39,  said: “They’ve not got the results they want, but I take that more as a warning than anything else. 
They’re going to try and fight and will play with Paul’s energy and we have to be ready for that.”
Having lost 2-0 at home to United last September, Konchesky is expecting a tough challenge in this fixture. 
Marc Skinner’s United side are aiming to pick up a second win in the league against West Ham this termCredit: Getty
The Irons boss said: “They are always going to be a big test. They’ve got some fantastic football players’.
“We know it’s going to be a tough test but it’s something we’re going to cherish and we’re looking forward to it.
“Hopefully we can be the ones who can upset them’. More