Although progress was far from certain after the first leg, Arsenal's comfortable win over Hacken ensured that three Women's Super League teams would advance to the Champions League group stage for the first time.
With Chelsea confirmed as WSL champions and Manchester City's 8-0 aggregate victory over Paris FC, Jonas Aydevall's side need to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second qualifying round, with Arsenal was under pressure. .
Aidevall twice said beforehand that Arsenal needed to qualify for the group stage, adding that if they didn't qualify it would be a failure. Arsenal needed the group stages to continue their progress on and off the pitch, and the club's head coach also needed one, with the club promising all such matches would be played at the Emirates Stadium. Had the team failed to qualify, it would have been inevitable that his future would have been called into question.
These are the slim margins within which coaches are forced to operate. But instead of talk of heads spinning, there were four goals and the fans were satisfied and now looking forward to a packed Champions League night. Arsenal face the draw at noon on Friday.
Aidevall made three changes to the squad that picked up a point from Sunday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City, with Frieda Mahnoum, Caitlin Ford and Kyla Cooney-Cross replaced by Lea Verti. Alessia Russo and Beth Meade returned to the starting lineup. . Arsenal had a dismal performance against City, taking an early lead but missing chances and dropping two points. There is no room for the same kind of waste at Meadow Park for Hakken's visit. The Swedish side had already punished Arsenal for that mistake against Gothenburg's solid low block.
Coach Mack Lind made changes to the team, bringing on Hikaru Kitagawa in place of forward Alice Bergstrom, and the team achieved a 1-0 home victory in the first leg.
Mr. Idevall called the trip to Gothenburg a “setback.” At Meadow Park, Hakken was keen to turn that step into a slide, attacking from the start with the same intensity with which he finished the opening leg.
Arsenal had their first big chance in the 8th minute, but Mead's shot hit Jennifer Faulk, who prevented her pounce on the rebound. A few minutes later, Hakken should have extended the lead by threading the ball in from the right, but the ball was pulled back to Anna Anvegaard, whose shot went wide of the far post.
The visitors were delighted with Katie McCabe moving forward and leaving space at the back on Arsenal's left, but it was Verti's long-range strike rather than Hakken extending his advantage that led to the equalizer. It was Arsenal's first goal. He fired a shot in the 23rd minute that hit the back of Faulk over the bar.
This goal seemed to loosen the pressure on the shoulders of the players in red, who had worked hard in the pouring rain, and began to move the momentum even more decisively.
The goal that put them ahead was a nasty one but hard earned. Meade's shot was blocked and cleared by Hakken, but only to be cleared by Mariona Caldenti, who came in from the left, and her shot clipped Emma Östlund's leg and went over the fork.
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Hakken immediately tested Arsenal after the break after Caldenti gave the ball to Tabatha Tindell, who ran past Lotte Uben-Moy, but her shot did not trouble Manuela Sinsberger.
The goal that gave Arsenal some breathing room came soon after. McCabe's cross was headed back by Emily Fox, the Ireland captain slotted the ball into the middle and Mead flicked the ball over the defender, spinning and smashing in a powerful shot.
With the score tied, Hakken had to go for it, leaving Arsenal with room to maneuver in the final third. The home team once again had the ball in the back of the net, but Stina Blackstenius was ruled offside during the build-up.
Arsenal's fourth goal was scored by substitute Ford and Mahnum, who combined to score Arsenal's fourth goal, with the former firing a cross that the Norwegian forward turned back.
In the end, it was a routine win, but Arsenal need to relieve the pressure sooner.
