Katie McCabe captains Arsenal to gritty Champions League comeback

Katie McCabe captained Arsenal to one of their grittiest ever Champions League performances on Sunday when they came from two goals down to draw away to Wolfsburg in the first leg of their semi-final.

The result was all the more admirable in light of the London club’s ever-growing injury list, one that already featured Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead, among others, and was extended by captain Kim Little (hamstring) and England skipper Leah Williamson (ACL) earlier in the week.

Arsenal were 2-0 down inside 25 minutes, but Rafaelle Souza pulled a goal back just before half-time, and Stina Blackstenius levelled 20 minutes from time. The return leg takes place on May 1st at the Emirates Stadium, with 46,000 tickets already sold for the game.

McCabe had a typical all-action afternoon, but might have held her breath late on when she barged into Lena Oberdorf and sent her flying after the German international had taken down Arsenal’s Lia Wälti. Both players were only booked, though, so will be reunited at the Emirates.

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Back in England, McCabe’s Irish team-mate Chloe Mustaki was busy popping champagne corks after her Bristol City side won promotion to the Women’s Super League, their 4-0 win over her former club Charlton sealing the Championship title.

That ensured bitter disappointment for the Irish contingent at their closest rivals, Birmingham City (Louise Quinn, Harriet Scott, Jamie Finn, Lucy Quinn and Eleanor Ryan-Doyle, currently on loan at Coventry) and London City Lionesses (Lily Agg, Hayley Nolan and Kyra Carusa), whose promotion ambitions ended.

Mustaki had made her comeback for Bristol a week ago, having been out of action with a groin problem since December, coming on for the last 20 minutes of the Charlton game.

It’s unlikely any of the Irish squad had a more eventful week than Denise O’Sullivan. On Wednesday she scored a worldie of a volley from the edge of the box, eight minutes into injury time, to give North Carolina Courage a draw away to Orlando Pride in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

Come the weekend, she endured a two-hour half-time break while lightning zapped Gotham FC’s New Jersey stadium, the home side eventually winning the league encounter with a goal 10 minutes from time. Sinead Farrelly, O’Sullivan’s new Republic of Ireland midfield colleague, came on for Gotham 12 minutes from time.