LONDON — Arsenal suffered an early exit from the Women’s Champions League after losing on penalties to French side Paris FC in the first stage of qualifying.
Arsenal, who won the competition in 2007 and reached the semi-finals last year, scored late goals through Alessia Russo and Jen Beattie to cancel out Mathilde Bourdieu’s quickfire double and take the match into extra time.
After Louise Fleury scored in the 106th minute, Russo bagged her second to force a shootout, but Arsenal’s new signing had her spot-kick saved by Chiamaka Nnadozie as the English side lost 4-2 on penalties.
Arsenal, who finished third in the Women’s Super League table last season, begins their domestic campaign at home to Liverpool on Oct. 1.
It is a shock early exit from Europe for Arsenal, who reached the semi-finals of last season’s Champions League before being edged out 5-4 on aggregate by Wolfsburg in heartbreaking fashion.
Eidevall’s team, who open the new WSL campaign at home to Liverpool on October 1, had been full of confidence after brushing aside Swedish side Linkopings in the semi-final of the first round of Champions League qualifying on Wednesday.
Paris FC now advances to the second round of qualifying, where the winners will seal their place in this season’s group stage.
Arsenal Ladies coach Jonas Eidevall made four changes immediately after, including sending on new signing Alessia Russo.
The changes turned the tide of the game in favour of the Gunners, and Russo pulled one back in the 80th minute.
Defender Jen Beattie was sent on as a substitute for Arsenal in the 93rd minute, and she scored the equaliser three minutes later to send the game to extra time.
Paris FC found a goal at the start of the second period of extra time through Louise Fleury to give them the lead before Russo fired home and excellent effort in the 116th minute to make it 3-3 and send the game to penalties.
Nnadozie came up big in the shootout, saving excellently from Russo and Frida Maanum to help her side secure a 4-2 shootout win.
Elsewhere in the qualifying finals, Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Juventus on penalties following a 1-1 draw and Shelbourne’s conquerors Glasgow beat Gintra 3-0.
In the third-place play-offs, Noelle Murray scored twice and Libby Moore added the icing on the cake as Shelbourne Ladies were 3-0 winners over Cardiff.
Cliftonville went down 4-2 to BIIK Shymkent of Kazakhstan.
Arsenal has been mainstays in the Champions League in recent seasons, reaching the semi-finals in 2022/23, even beating 2021/22 winners Lyon 5-0 in the group stages.
They also reached the quarter-finals the season prior, so to be eliminated before even reaching the group stages is a massive shock. Paris FC, by comparison, last reached the latter stages of the tournament in 2012/13, when they played in the semi-finals.
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