Wubben-Moy strikes late to rescue draw for Arsenal against Wolfsburg

The smile said it all. Lifelong Arsenal fan Lotte Wubben-Moy’s equaliser late on salvaged a 1-1 draw against Wolfsburg in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final and she beamed widely. Tabea Wassmuth had given the German side a first-half lead but Wubben-Moy’s strike, in her first start at the Emirates, ensured Arsenal travel to Germany next week with the tie level.

The gulf between England’s best and Champions League royalty was in evidence again as Arsenal, despite seeing far more of the ball than they had against Barcelona in December at this ground, were made to look as ordinary as they make teams in the Women’s Super League look week in, week out.

Wolfsburg, having competed in five of the last nine finals, winning twice in 2013 and 2014, understand what it means to progress in the Champions League. Under the floodlights at the Emirates, it was the home team – the only English side to have won a women’s European Cup but were absent from the competition from 2015 to 2018-19 – that began brightly. In the opening minute, England forward Beth Mead dragged her shot wide after she was slipped through on the left by Stina Blackstenius.

“They play a little bit differently to the teams we play regularly, they have a different style,” said the Arsenal manager, Jonas Eidevall, prior to the game. “Wolfsburg are very, very good on the counter attack, and we haven’t played a team so far this season that has been that good on the counter. At the same time, I don’t think they have been exposed to our style of football either.”

Arsenal were dominant in possession, playing with a fluidity and confidence that had been missing from their two group stage encounters with the seemingly unstoppable Barcelona and against