Arsenal start UEFA Women's Champions League campaign with a win, but where are the goals going to come from?

A stoppage-time penalty spared Renee Slegers’ side, but managing only three goals across five matches this season shows an attack sorely missing Beth Mead

Despite defeating HB Koge 1-0 to kick off the league phase of the UEFA Women's Champions League thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from Mariona Caldentey, Arsenal look nothing like the club that won this competition in the 2024-25 season. While Koge have become regulars in this competition, appearing each year since 2021, Arsenal are among the class of women's soccer, and after already looking to regain the Women's Super League title from Manchester City, this won't be the start that manager Renee Slegers would have wanted. The season may be young, but Arsenal have now played five games in all competitions, scoring three goals, struggling to put their efforts on target, taking 19 shots with only two testing the Koge keeper, Alberte Vigum.

Capitalizing on a mistake to get all three points is something that good teams do, but with a league phase that will see them face Olympique Lyonnais, Benfica, Paris FC, Barcelona, and Inter, continuing to have performances like this one won't be good enough for Arsenal to make it deeper into Champions League play. Arsenal dominated possession, having the ball for almost 70% of the match, but despite being massive favorites, they were unable to convert it into good chances facing Koge. Fans can watch all the UWCL action across CBS Sports platforms. Paramount+ will live stream