01 May 2023 , 20:47
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Jonas Eidevall says his Arsenal team "win and lose as a team" after they missed out on the UEFA Women's Champions League final in cruel fashion.
The Gunners were only seconds away from a penalty shootout to decide an epic contest but lost out when Pauline Bremer poked into an open goal. England defender Lotte Wubben-Moy was robbed in possession, a terrible mistake allowing Wolfsburg to win the ball back and Bremer to win the tie.
The game went to extra-time after a thrilling 2-2 draw in 90 minutes, finishing 4-4 on aggregate. But the Germans stole the tie in the dying minutes to stun a crowd of 60,063, a record for a women's club game in England. However, despite the finish, Eidevall refused to blame Wubben-Moy for the error who was one of Arsenal's best players on the night.
"I told her to keep her head high and told her that there is no need to apologise," he said. "Mistakes happen in football. We win as a team and we lose a team. We are there for each other and some times it is inevitable.
"We learn from it. They also made mistakes and we were close to profiting. It's part of the game.
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"Lotte was absolutely fantastic in her total performance. We're there for each other, both when we get success and also in failure."
Arsenal were knocked out in the dying minutes of extra-timeThe Gunners join Chelsea in narrowly missing out on the showpiece final, after their WSL title rivals were edged out by Barcelona in narrow fashion last week. Eidevall admitted the defeat will hurt morale, but added that his team needed a response to ensure they finish the WSL strongly.
Arsenal will need to secure a top three finish to ensure they return to the Champions League next season, following their superb run to the semi-final.
"I think we're allowed to feel hurt, empty but also proud," added Eidevall. "We're proud of the occasion, the supporters were magnificent. I think it was really, really small margins. It has to be only yards offside for our second goal.
"That's sports sometimes these calls go with you, sometimes against you and it feels terrible. But we as a group got to the Champions League semi-final with all the injuries and challenges we've had. That makes me so proud. I was really privileged to see them handle it so well."
"We now need to focus this WSL season as strong as possible, we've done some great things this season. We won the Conti Cup, we nearly reached a Champions League final. But I'm always thinking next game and everyone needs to come together to finish the league as strong as possible. We have to attack every game 100 per cent, like we did today."
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