Arsenal will have to go through the Champions League knockout play-offs despite winning convincingly against Leuven in Belgium.
The European champions, who beat Barcelona in last season’s final, needed a win to have any chance of finishing in the top four and going straight to the quarter-finals. Olivia Smith, Beth Mead, and an own goal by Saar Janssen helped Arsenal to a 3-0 victory, but they finished fifth in the league phase, one point behind fourth-placed Bayern Munich.
That means Arsenal will play a two-legged play-off in February, with their opponents set in Thursday’s draw. They could face either Atletico Madrid or a rematch against Leuven.
In Belgium, Arsenal dominated, with Alessia Russo seeing two headers saved before Smith scored her first Champions League goal. Mead added a second nine minutes later, and Janssen’s own goal sealed the win. Despite the defeat, Leuven also progressed to the knockout play-offs thanks to Valerenga losing to Bayern.
