Arsenal are one game away from being crowned the best team in the world as they defeated AS FAR 6-0 to reach the final of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, where they will meet Corinthians of Brazil.
Renee Slegers decided to rotate her squad for the semi-final, as the tournament comes in the middle of a very busy schedule with five different competitions played in this block. She selected Borbe; Holmberg, Wubben-Moy, Codina, Hinds; Caldentey, Pelova; Mead, Maanum, Blackstenius, Smith.
AS FAR went with a 5-4-1 defensive formation, but Arsenal scoring early through Blackstenius after eight minutes and subsequently added three more before half-time and killed the game.
This was a very nice outcome as the Gunners are in a very busy period playing eleven games in 43 days in this block. Especially considering there are still a couple of players unavailable like Williamson and van Domselaar.
Arsenal’s physical superiority was evident against the African champions, but it will be a different game in the final on Sunday. Corinthians are very strong and physical and do not hesitate to put a foot in in the duels. It was very clear for all to see in their semi-final against Gotham FC. They had speed, energy and physical hardness for most of the game, as well as very noisy fans.
Arsenal played the perfect game against AS FAR in term of the scenario. It allowed them to rotate players, give starts to those who had not had one so far like Holmberg, or not for a while like Codina. Substitutions were made at half-time and in the 60th minute to spread the load.
It meant also welcoming back Kelly on the pitch following a long injury break. The Brentford FC crowd were chanting her name loudly the whole time as she is quite local.
Overall, it was a strong performance and it means the Arsenal can make history on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium by becoming the first-ever Women’s Champions Cup winner and claiming the official ‘best team in the world’ title.