Arsenal Women 4-0 Okzhetpes: New Gunners boss Jonas Eidevall gets off to winning start
Report as Arsenal Women secure a 4-0 victory over Okzhetpes in the first round of the Champions League; Goals from new signing Mana Iwabuchi, captain Kim Little, Beth Mead and Nikita Parris on her debut secured win; Gunners will face PSV Eindhoven or Lokomotiv Moscow on Saturday
Wednesday 18 August 2021 16:00, UK
Arsenal Women secured a 4-0 victory against Okzhetpes in the first round of the Champions League.
The reign of new Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall got off to a flying start as a side featuring four debutants cruised to a comfortable victory in Moscow.
New signing Mana Iwabuchi opened the scoring for the north London side, finding the back of the net with a strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Captain Kim Little, who featured for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics, then scored from the penalty spot shortly afterwards after Vivianne Miedema was fouled in the box.
It was a dominant showing from the Gunners against the Kazakh side and despite lacking a clinical edge in front of goal at times, they went on to add to their tally in the second half.
Beath Mead netted from close range to extend Arsenal's advantage before Nikita Parris, a Champions League winner with former club Lyon, fired home from close range to score on her debut and round off a comfortable victory.
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- WSL on Sky: Big names, 'the big three' and inspiring girls
What the Arsenal boss said...
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall: "There are some circumstances that made it a little more difficult. It was extremely hot conditions and on an artificial turf which gets a little bit dry, so that's hard to move the ball at a good pace.
"I think we scored the hard goals today but we didn't score from any corners, any wide free-kicks, any crosses or any counter-attacks.
"In order for us to be able to score more today, we needed to be better at those situations. We need to be better at that on Saturday - no matter which opponents we play."
What's next?
Arsenal will face PSV Eindhoven or Lokomotiv Moscow on Saturday with a place in the second round of qualifying on the line.
The Gunners begin their Women's Super League campaign against defending champions Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on 5 September; live on Sky Sports (kick off 12.30pm).
WSL: Arsenal vs Chelsea opener live on Sky
Sky Sports has confirmed its first selection of Women's Super League games, with Arsenal to play Chelsea in a blockbuster encounter on Sunday September 5.
Sky will show all 12 clubs across the first five rounds of action and kicks off with Manchester United vs Reading on Friday September 3 before champions Chelsea travel to The Emirates to play rivals Arsenal two days later.
As one of the most competitive leagues, with some of the most famous names and teams in the world, the WSL will be one of Sky Sports' flagship offerings.
Confirmed WSL fixtures live on Sky Sports
Friday September 3 - Manchester United vs Reading, kick-off 7.45pm
Sunday September 5 - Arsenal vs Chelsea, kick-off 12.30pm
Saturday September 11 - West Ham vs Aston Villa, kick-off 11.30am
Sunday September 12 - Manchester City vs Tottenham, kick-off 6.45pm
Saturday September 25 - Everton vs Birmingham, kick-off 11.30am
Sunday September 26 - Arsenal vs Manchester City, kick-off 6.45pm
Saturday October 2 - Chelsea vs Brighton, kick-off 11.30am
Sunday October 3 - Birmingham vs Manchester United, kick-off 6.45pm
Sunday October 9 - Chelsea vs Leicester, kick-off 12.30pm
Sunday October 9 - Arsenal vs Everton, kick-off 3.00pm
WSL on Sky: Big names, the 'big three' and inspiring girls
The Women's Super League will have a new home from next season on Sky Sports. From world-class stars like Lucy Bronze and Vivianne Miedema to the potential end of the 'big three' - Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City - there are plenty of reasons to be excited.
Here, we look at why you should watch the WSL on Sky Sports this September...
