Belgian Trip

December 17, 2025

Den Dreef Stadium, Heverlee

The first meeting between Belgian and English sides in the Women’s Champions League arrived wrapped in quiet novelty, but the evening itself quickly shed any sense of occasion. Arsenal treated it as a matter of order. OH Leuven, perched precariously in 12th place before kick-off and glancing nervously over their shoulder at Valerenga, arrived with domestic confidence—leaders of the Belgian Super League, eight wins from ten—but Europe has a way of stripping context bare.

From the outset, Arsenal’s depth and versatility shaped the contest. Beth Mead and Caitlin Foord stretched the pitch, Alessia Russo occupied space with intent, and Kim Little’s absence from the early narrative did little to dull Arsenal’s authority. The first chance fell to Russo, meeting a cut-back from Alessia Smith, though her header was comfortably gathered by Lowiese Seynhaeve. It was an early warning rather than a missed opportunity.

Russo went closer on 16 minutes, guiding a Katie McCabe delivery towards the corner, only for Seynhaeve to shift sharply and intervene. The resistance did not last. Moments later, Smith exchanged passes with Mariona Caldentey, surged into the area, saw her first effort blocked, and followed the rebound with conviction. The goal carried inevitability rather than relief.

The second arrived swiftly and beautifully. Mead, drifting in from the right, bent a left-footed strike into the far corner—precise, assured, and emblematic of Arsenal’s composure. Leuven’s response was tentative: Zenia Mertens lashed over from distance, their only first-half attempt of note.

Before the interval, Arsenal might have been further ahead. Mariona’s free-kick was tipped over, Lotte Wubben-Moy’s header repelled, and Mead again denied after Russo’s intelligent lay-off. Leuven survived to the break but not with belief restored.

The second half followed the same pattern. Arsenal pressed, combined, recycled. Smith and Russo continued their dialogue, Foord and Blackstenius later adding fresh angles. A disputed third goal—Foord’s cross turned in by Janssen—briefly paused celebrations before VAR confirmed what the movement already suggested: Arsenal were simply quicker to every decision.

Bravery and intent define this Arsenal side, but so too does control. They will meet OH Leuven again in the play-offs for a place in the quarter-finals, armed not with momentum alone, but with the assurance of a team that understands exactly who it is.

OH Leuven 0 – 3 Arsenal 

(O. Smith 18’, B. Mead 27’, S. Janssen 67’OG)