Wolfsburg 2-2 Arsenal: Gunners come from behind to keep semi-final tie alive

Arsenal defender Rafaelle Souza scored successful the 45th infinitesimal aft her mistake had led to Wolfsburg's 2nd goal

Arsenal came from 2 goals down to gully with Wolfsburg successful the archetypal limb of their Women's Champions League semi-final successful Germany.

A mediocre archetypal fractional by the Gunners was astir punished arsenic Wolfsburg took a deserved 2-0 pb aft conscionable 24 minutes, helped by a fistful of mistakes from the visiting defence.

The competition's apical scorer Ewa Pajor netted her eighth extremity successful the Champions League this play erstwhile her tally into the container was untracked and she coolly slotted it past goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger.

Rafaelle Souza's unspeakable mistake past talented Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir a extremity from adjacent scope for Wolfsburg's 2nd but the Arsenal defender made amends with a towering header connected the changeable of half-time.

That extremity kept Arsenal successful the crippled and they improved successful the 2nd half, reducing Wolfsburg to less chances and posing a greater menace astatine the different end.

It paid disconnected erstwhile Blackstenius was teed up by Victoria Pelova and it means Arsenal instrumentality to Emirates Stadium for the 2nd limb connected Monday, 1 May inactive successful with a accidental of reaching the final.

But Jonas Eidevall's injury-hit broadside volition request to amended arsenic they looked disjointed defensively and were acold from their flowing best, displayed successful the superb quarter-final triumph implicit Bayern Munich.

The Gunners were dealt dense blows this week erstwhile cardinal players Kim Little and Leah Williamson were ruled retired with superior injuries and it showed successful Germany - but Arsenal's resilience was afloat connected display.

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Gruelling trial but Arsenal's hopes remain

Arsenal expected a gruelling trial against two-time champions Wolfsburg and they were fixed one.

The German hosts dominated the archetypal half, taking vantage of a weakened Arsenal defence who did not look comfy with a backmost three.

Jonsdottir made her beingness felt aboriginal connected erstwhile Zinsberger was forced to unreserved disconnected her enactment to halt her getting connected the extremity of a throughball.

But the 21-year-old Icelandic guardant was allowed to thorax the shot down aft 19 minutes and gaffe it done to an unmarked Pajor to springiness Wolfsburg an aboriginal lead.

Arsenal did not settee and the usually assured Brazilian Souza past asked excessively overmuch of team-mate Jen Beattie erstwhile she passed it consecutive to Jonsdottir wrong her ain container to marque it 2-0.

It was looking gloomy for the Gunners until Souza's header gave them a mode backmost successful and Blackstenius, who had made runs successful down each match, was yet rewarded for her endeavour.

Wolfsburg volition beryllium frustrated they could not capitalise connected a flurry of precocious chances - erstwhile Arsenal midfielder Jill Roord came closest erstwhile she dragged it inches wide of the post.

But Arsenal, who picked up their archetypal trophy successful 4 years earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile they bushed Chelsea successful the League Cup final, inactive person hopes of adding a 2nd successful this contention with the necktie successful the balance.

They utilized a raucous location assemblage to their vantage successful the quarter-final triumph implicit Bayern and with much than 46,000 tickets already sold for the instrumentality leg, they volition consciousness their chances stay reasonably strong.