Arsenal Women Reach UEFA Quarter-finals As Russo's Double Sends Them Past OH Leuven

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Alessia Russo struck twice as Arsenal beat OH Leuven 3-1 at Meadow Park, completing a 7-1 aggregate and booking a Champions League quarter-final tie with Chelsea. The win confirms another strong European campaign for Arsenal, who controlled the second leg despite a brief scare.

The result sends Arsenal into the Champions League quarter-finals for the 17th time, more than any other club. It is also the first occasion since the 2019-20 round of 16 against Slavia Prague that Arsenal win both legs of a knockout tie.

Elsewhere in the Champions League, Barcelona are set to face Real Madrid in a Clasico quarter-final. Real Madrid advanced 5-2 on aggregate after beating Paris FC 2-0 earlier on 18 February 2026, adding another high-profile tie to the last-eight schedule.

The platform for Arsenal’s progress came from the first leg, when Renee Slegers’ team beat Leuven 4-0 in Belgium. That dominant victory meant the second meeting felt controlled, even on a rain-soaked pitch, as Caitlin Foord volleyed over early and Jada Conijnenberg tested Daphne van Domselaar.

Arsenal moved ahead when Russo escaped the defence and drove a low effort past Lowiese Seynhaeve, who could not keep out the strike. Leuven responded before the half-hour, as VAR overturned an offside call and allowed Sara Pusztai’s finish from Kim Everaerts’s pass to stand.

After the interval, Smilla Holmberg drew another strong stop from Seynhaeve, yet Arsenal’s pressure soon told. Linde Veefkind brought down Foord inside the area, and Mariona Caldentey calmly converted the 65th-minute penalty. A sharp one-handed save initially denied Russo, but a composed stoppage-time finish delivered Arsenal’s third.

The numbers supported Arsenal’s control, with Slegers’ side generating 2.32 expected goals compared with Leuven’s 1.02. That superiority, combined with the 4-0 away win and the 3-1 home success, underlines a comfortable path into a quarter-final against Chelsea that will attract wide interest.