Barcelona ripped Arsenal apart in style to kickstart their Champions League defence. Goals from Mariona Caldentey, Alexia Putellas – the newly crowned European player of the year, who received her trophy before kick-off – Asisat Oshoala and Lieke Martens earned the home team a comfortable win, with Frida Maanum scoring a consolation goal from a corner. The scoreline, terrifyingly, flattered the Gunners, who had six shots while their opponents had 35. Arsenal barely registered time on the ball.
“I’ve learned that we have a team that never gives up,” said the deflated Arsenal manager, Jonas Eidevall. “It was a really, really tough game. I can probably do things better in preparing the team to find those solutions even quicker than they did today.”