Arsenal dominated OH Leuven with a 4-0 victory in the first leg of their UEFA Women's Champions League knockout play-off on Wednesday. Frida Maanum scored twice, while Olivia Smith and Alessia Russo added further goals for the holders. The result positions Arsenal favorably ahead of the second leg in London next week.
Arsenal took control early in their away match against OH Leuven in Belgium, advancing their defense of the UEFA Women's Champions League title. The game, played on February 11, 2026, saw the English side score four times without reply, building on their 3-0 league-phase win over the same opponents in December.
Frida Maanum opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a flicked header from Caitlin Foord's cross. Eight minutes before halftime, Olivia Smith extended the lead, finishing first-time from Chloe Kelly's low delivery after evading her marker. Maanum added her second shortly after the restart in the 52nd minute, slotting in another Foord assist. Substitute Alessia Russo completed the scoring in the 72nd minute, capitalizing on a rebound from Lowiese Seynhaeve after Smilla Holmberg's cross.
OH Leuven's best chance came from Alixe Bosteels' long-range effort in the second half, tipped over by Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar. The Belgian side, making their European debut this season, struggled against Arsenal's intensity, as noted by manager Arno van den Abbeel. "Today we had to accept they're a better team than us," van den Abbeel told Disney+. "Arsenal deserved to win - 4-0 is hard but that is the difference between us and them at the moment."
Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum reflected on the performance: "It felt really good. The team has been really good recently so it is quite easy to play with my team-mates at this moment." Captain Kim Little, marking her 400th appearance for the club, highlighted the team's growth: "We have learned from those moments. We have built on and off the pitch to try and drive changes."
The win marks Arsenal's first first-leg victory in eight Champions League knockout ties. Olivia Smith received a yellow card for time-wasting late on, meaning she will miss the return leg on February 18 at Meadow Park. The winners of the tie will face Chelsea in the quarter-finals.
