What Arsenal boss did on touchline speaks volumes as Champions League target set

Jonas Eidevall turned on his heel and unleashed a mighty roar. Once, twice, three times, the Swede pounded his fist on the plastic roof of the Meadow Park dugout as his players wheeled away to celebrate Arsenal's fourth goal of the evening.

It was Frida Maanum who had slotted the ball coolly past BK Hacken goalkeeper Jennifer Falk to secure the Gunners' progression to the group stage of the UEFA Women's Champions League. In truth, though, their qualification had felt inevitable from the moment Lia Walti's long-range strike rattled the back of the Hacken net on Thursday night, drawing Arsenal level in the tie following the Swedish side's shock 1-0 victory in Gothenburg last week.

That defeat had been, in the words of Eidevall, a "backwards step" for a team whose primary ambition is to be regularly competing in the latter stages of Europe's premier club competition. It was a blow that brought with it grim memories of last season, when Arsenal crashed out in the second qualifying round against irrefutable underdogs Paris FC.

There had been some mitigating circumstances for that reverse, chiefly that the game had come less than three weeks after the Women's World Cup final in Australia in New Zealand, with several Arsenal players having had minimal time to prepare after returning from brief post-tournament breaks. Still, it was a setback that stymied the Gunners' momentum before the season had even begun in earnest and one which Eidevall and his players could ill afford to repeat this term.

Perhaps it was that weight of expectation that contributed to Arsenal's shaky start on Thursday, with the game taking on a frantic quality in the opening exchanges as both teams traded blows. But Walti's goal in the 23rd minute helped the hosts wrestle back control and, from that moment on, it felt as if the game was only going to end one way.

That feeling intensified on the stroke of half time when summer signing Mariona Caldentey - a three-time Champions League winner with Barcelona - gave Arsenal an aggregate lead in the tie. Beth Mead's sublime volley shortly after the restart will surely have had many fans dusting off their passports before Maanum's composed finish rubber-stamped a crucial win.

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Eidevall's reaction was telling. The Swede is no stranger to being animated on the touchline but, having been handed a new and improved long-term contract last October, he will have been under no illusions about the importance of bettering last season's dismal run in the completion, and his relief was palpable.

"One part of the season starts now. That I'm really happy for," the Arsenal boss said after the game. "I think we've grown with our performances. We've got the results we wanted.

"We can't relax, the season starts for us now here. We are in all four competitions we want to be in and need to make the most out of it. We built the squad for competing, we need the squad to compete. We're ready to play these games."

Certainly, there can be no arguing with the fact Arsenal boast one of the most star-studded squads in Europe, packed full of big names who will all harbour ambitions of winning major silverware. According to Statista, the Gunners had the highest wage bill in the Women's Super League (WSL) in the 2022/23 season and they have added a host of high-profile players to their ranks since then, including England forward Alessia Russo, Australia international Kyra Cooney-Cross and World Cup winner Caldentey.

Considering the club's significant outlay in recent years, reaching the Champions League group stage is a welcome boost to the coffers. Clubs receive €300,000 (£250,000) for qualifying and could futher bolster their earnings depending on results (€50,000 for each group win and €17,000 for each draw).

That all of the club's home European ties between now and Christmas will be played at the Emirates also offers the chance to increase matchday revenue and continue developing a staunch supporter base. Financial incentives aside, though, there is a sense that a club of Arsenal's stature should always be competing for the game's big honours - a sentiment which was echoed by goalscorer Beth Mead after the game.

“We needed it tonight," she said. "We upped our game, don’t get me wrong we weren’t perfect, but the intensity was a lot better than last week."

“We were motivated. We believed as a team that we could get the result. It was a long day and a bit nerve-wracking coming into it, knowing the outcome if we didn’t win. It’s the minimum standard at Arsenal to play in the Champions League group stages regularly, so it was nice to get over the line tonight.”

Arsenal may be over the line but the hard work is only just beginning. The group stage draw, conducted in Nyon on Friday, has not been particularly kind to the Gunners, who will face off with Bayern Munich, Juventus and Valerenga, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

Progression to the last eight is by no means a foregone conclusion but these are the games where Arsenal's big names should come to the fore. Thursday's win means the Gunners are now finally unshackled from the ghosts of last season, now they must prove they belong at Europe's top table.