OH Leuven becomes first-ever Belgian women's team to reach Champions League play-offs
Oud-Heverlee Leuven’s women qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League on Wednesday night despite a 0-3 defeat against Arsenal. The team made history by becoming the first Belgian women’s team ever to survive the League Phase of the tournament.
The loss was largely expected, given that Arsenal are the defending champions of the Champions League. Nevertheless, OHL secured qualification because their closest challengers, Vålerenga, lost 3-0 to Bayern Munich. The Belgian champions finished 12th in the League Phase with six points, which was just enough to advance.
"Arsenal won the Champions League last season, there’s no denying that," defender Saar Janssen said. "But we gave it our all and made the most of it. We can still be proud of our performance, even though we lost. We adjusted well in the second half and things went better."
OHL’s qualification is historic not only because it marks the first time a Belgian women’s team has reached the Champions League play-offs, but also because it comes in the club’s debut season at this level. The match also set a Belgian attendance record for women’s football, with 9,285 tickets sold.
Rematch in February
The top four teams in the Champions League progressed directly to the quarter-finals, while teams finishing between fifth and 12th must first contest a play-off round. The draw, held on Thursday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, paired OHL once again with Arsenal, who finished fifth.
The Belgian side will host the first leg on 11 or 12 February, before travelling to London for the return match a week later. The winner will face Chelsea in the quarter-finals, scheduled for late March and early April.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO JILL DELSAUX
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