Arsenal Women are on the brink of sealing qualification for the group stage of the Women's Champions League thanks to a 1-0 win over Rosenborg in Saturday's qualifying showdown.
Jonas Eidevall's side came into their first qualifying round final on the back of a 6-0 crushing of Rangers, but on this occasion, a Frida Maanum strike was enough to seal Arsenal's progression.
The Norwegian midfielder capitalised on a first-half howler from Rosenborg goalkeeper Rugile Maria Rulyte, who attempted to punch a Caitlin Foord cross clear but only managed to palm the ball further towards her exposed goal.
Defender Mathilde Harviken tried to hack clear off the line, but Maanum was in the right place at the right time to pounce on the goalkeeper's mistake with 19 minutes played.
Eidevall's side continued to overwhelm their Scandinavian opponents, but the ruthlessness they displayed against Rangers eluded them on the night; Alessia Russo hit the frame of the goal twice and Kyra Cooney-Cross once.
Nevertheless, the Gunners banished the demons of 2023 - where they lost at this stage to Paris FC - and the draw for the second round of Women's Champions League qualifying takes place on Monday.
Arsenal can meet last year's nemesis Paris FC, Juventus, BK Hacken, Fiorentina or Sporting Lisbon in the second qualifying round, and they are one of five seeded teams in the league path alongside Manchester City, Wolfsburg, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. body check tags ::
