Arsenal, Man City and Celtic join Chelsea in Women’s Champions League group stage
England will have three teams in the group stages for the first time after Arsenal completed a comeback against Hacken, while Celtic are the first Scottish team to reach the group stages
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Louise Thomas
Editor
Arsenal turned around their Women’s Champions League round two tie against BK Hacken to join Manchester City and Celtic in the group stages of the competition.
Arsenal started the night 1-0 down to their Swedish visitors on aggregate but ultimately made light work of it with goals from Lia Walti, Mariona Caldentey, Beth Mead and Frida Maanum in a 4-0 win on the night.
Walti got things level on aggregate 23 minutes in with a powerful drive from distance and Arsenal had their noses in front nine minutes later. Mead was denied but Stina Blackstenius got the ball to Caldentey to apply the finish.
Mead bagged the third four minutes into the second half before Maanum made sure of progress with 12 minutes to play.
City cruised through with a 3-0 win over Paris sealing an 8-0 aggregate win, with Gareth Taylor able to rest many of his senior players in the second half.
His side needed only two minutes to take the lead in windy conditions in east Manchester, with Khadija Shaw charging down Paris goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnodizie before teeing up Chloe Kelly to apply the finish.
Kelly then saw her shot palmed onto the angle of the post and crossbar before Shaw added a second in the 31st minute, with Kelly cutting the ball back from the byline.
Clara Mateo hit the post for Paris late in the half but Shaw finished things off from the penalty spot in the second half after being tripped in the box.
Celtic became the first Scottish side to reach the group stages of the competition with a 2-0 win over Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltova sealing a 3-0 aggregate win.
After a poor first half, Emma Lawton headed in her first Celtic goal from Lucy Ashworth-Clifford’s cross in the 52nd minute before Shannon McGregor headed in a second 10 minutes later.
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