Arsenal women's team plane catches fire as players forced to evacuate after bird flies into engine

Arsenal women's team was forced to evacuate its plane in Wolfsburg after it burst into flames when a bird flew into one of the engines.

Jonas Eidevall's side were flying back to London from Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport in Germany following their 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against VfL Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Stadium on Sunday. The Maltese airline plane reportedly made a loud bang just before taking off which resulted in the passengers being taken off the aircraft after the pilots pulled it up near the terminal. A spokesperson for the airport told German newspaper Bild that a bird strike had caused the engine to go on fire. Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident.

The Arsenal squad were put up in a nearby hotel before they were flown back to north London today. The WSL side welcome Wolfsburg for the second leg on May 1.

Goals in the second half from Rafaelle Souza and Stina Blackstenius saw Arsenal come back to draw 2-2. The performance was particularly impressive after Eidevall’s side suffered injuries to marquee players Kim Little and Leah Williamson in the lead-up to their European clash.

With the tie on level terms as the Gunners return to north London, the WSL side will now fancy their chances of reaching a first European final since 2007.

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