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# Arsenal Women 1-0 HB Køge: Why 21 Shots Produced Just Two on Target
- URL: https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/arsenal-women-hb-koge-1-0-match-analysis/
- Published: 2026-09-23T14:53:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T14:53:28.000Z
- Description: Arsenal Women needed a stoppage-time Mariona Caldentey penalty to beat HB Køge 1-0 despite 70% possession and 21 shots. So why did Arsenal once again struggle to turn attacking dominance into goals?
- Author: Roberto Revilla
- Tags: Match Reports, Latest

Arsenal have won their opening Champions League game of the season, Mariona Caldentey's penalty in stoppage time eventually giving them a 1-0 win over HB Køge at Meadow Park, and I'm relieved because for quite a long time tonight I thought we were heading towards another draw.

I don't really know how else to describe this game other than to say Arsenal made incredibly hard work of it.

We had 70 per cent possession, 21 shots, 10 corners, and spent huge amounts of the game in and around the Køge penalty area, but only 2 of those 21 shots were on target; one of those was the penalty, and I think that says everything about what happened last night.

Because once again there was plenty of the ball, plenty of attacking intent and this time there were balls being fired into the box from both sides, but the end product just wasn't there.

One commentator described it as quantity rather than quality, and I think that summed it up perfectly.

I don't want this to become a repeat of everything we said after Palace and Manchester United, because we've already done that, and you don't need me telling you that Arsenal need to score more goals.

What I do want to understand is why, against a Køge side who defended very well but certainly weren't sitting in a low block for 90 minutes, Arsenal still found it so difficult to turn all of that possession and territory into good chances.

Because there were some positives.

I thought [Kyra Cooney-Cross](https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/kyra-cooney-cross-arsenal-women/) was excellent and deserved her Player of the Match award. I thought Anneke Borbe did really well. [Chloe Kelly](https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/chloe-kelly-deserves-to-be-celebrated/) looked like someone determined to make things happen, and Smilla Holmberg spent most of the evening firing really accurate crosses into dangerous areas where, quite frankly, there was no one in an Arsenal shirt to attack them, or at least not with the quality needed.

And then there's [Selina Cerci](https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/selina-cerci-arsenal-player-profile/), because after all my talk before the game about wanting to see her start, she eventually came on in the second half, and it was her direct run into the box in stoppage time that finally forced Køge into the mistake Arsenal had spent the previous 90 minutes trying to create.

So Arsenal have won, we've got the three points, and there is plenty to talk about.

But it really shouldn't have been that difficult.

### **The first half**

Renée Slegers made eight changes from the team that started [against Manchester United](https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/arsenal-women-man-utd-1-1-match-analysis/), which was pretty much what we expected her to do, although not necessarily with all the players we expected (or wanted) to see.

Anneke Borbe came into goal, with Smilla Holmberg, Leah Williamson, Steph Catley and Taylor Hinds across the back. Kyra Cooney-Cross, [Kim Little](https://www.arsenalwomentrailblazers.com/kim-little-arsenal-number-ten/) and Frida Maanum made up the midfield, then Chloe Kelly and Caitlin Foord either side of Stina Blackstenius.

No Cerci. No Reuteler. You can probably imagine my reaction to that.

But I was pleased to see Kyra back on the team, and I was also really interested to see Holmberg starting at right-back because we'd talked in the preview about whether Renée might use her there or push her further forward.

Straight away, Smilla was getting high up the field; Køge were defending in more of a 4-4-2 mid-block than simply dropping everybody back around their penalty area, and Arsenal started with some of the urgency we’ve been asking for. Kelly was driving at defenders, Holmberg was getting beyond her on the overlap, and Kim Little was constantly making herself available inside, so there were some nice combinations developing down that right-hand side.

Kyra was another one who immediately caught my attention.

I love how direct and decisive she is with the ball. She doesn't seem interested in taking three or four touches when one will do, and there were several occasions when she'd win possession and immediately look forward, which sounds pretty basic, but it's something I've been wanting to see more of from this Arsenal midfield.

Kelly had an early effort from outside the area tipped away, and Holmberg was already causing problems with her deliveries from the right, while at the other end Nadia Nadim had a go from distance and forced Borbe into her first save of the evening.

So Køge weren't just sitting there waiting for Arsenal to attack them.

When they got the ball, they were very confident moving it around, and Kyra Carusa, in particular, looked very lively up front. The quality of their final pass wasn't always there, but you could see that if Arsenal switched off or got caught with too many players ahead of the ball, Køge had enough attacking talent to cause problems.

Then, after about 13 minutes, we thought Arsenal had taken the lead.

It was a really good move - Kyra drove towards the box, played a one-two with Foord, kept running, and then found Kelly, who finished superbly from the middle of the penalty area.

One-nil, here we go! 

Except we then had the VAR check; the referee went over to the monitor, and eventually the goal was ruled out because none other than Stina Blackstenius was standing in an offside position, interfering with the goalkeeper's line of sight.

And this is where I got supremely frustrated with Stina because she's not even involved in the move.

She's not making the run that creates the chance; she's not trying to get onto the end of the ball, but she's standing offside directly in the goalkeeper's line of sight, and this seems to happen with Blackstenius more than it should.

I know part of her game is built around playing right on that defensive line and inevitably you're going to get caught offside sometimes when that's what you're trying to do, but this wasn't even that.

Chloe Kelly had done everything right, and Arsenal had produced one of their best attacking moves of the half, but the goal was disallowed.

### **Smilla Holmberg and all those crosses**

The player I kept coming back to in my notes was Smilla Holmberg because she was getting outside her defender almost every time she wanted to.

Kelly would come inside, Smilla would go beyond her and rather than get to the final third and stop, she'd put the ball into the box.

And they were very good deliveries. They weren't hopeful balls being thrown into an area because Arsenal had run out of ideas. Smilla was looking up and putting some really accurate crosses into dangerous positions, and after watching it happen again and again, I kept thinking, we need someone capable of attacking these, because we didn’t seem to have that someone on the pitch.

There was one that Foord couldn't quite connect with, another that caused problems and dropped out towards Maanum, then another after Smilla had simply gone around the outside of her defender again.

By 35 minutes I'd basically written the same thing in my notes several times: Smilla needs someone who can do something with these crosses.

So far, Stina wasn't that person. That doesn't mean I'm blaming her for everything that wasn't working, because there were problems in other areas as well, but Arsenal needed a focal point, and she wasn't providing one.

Foord was interesting because she carried the ball centrally on occasions when Arsenal started attacks from the left, and when it worked, she could drag two or three Køge players towards her, creating space elsewhere.

The problem was that sometimes Caitlin would beat one player, see the next one and just keep going, and Køge had worked this out very early on.

Every time she came inside, there seemed to be three or four players waiting for her, so there were moments when I wanted her to release the ball earlier rather than keep trying to drive through traffic.

Maanum was frustrating me for a different reason.

There was one opportunity to shoot, but she instead tried to find Foord. When she did shoot, she couldn't quite get the effort right. One curled attempt went wide; there were other moments where the decision was delayed, and by the time Arsenal did something with the ball, Køge had everybody back in position again.

That's where the overthinking started to creep in for me.

Sometimes the cross is on, so cross it. When you've got space to shoot, shoot. If a teammate has made the run, just play them in!

Arsenal seemed to be making some of those decisions one touch too late, and against a team getting players back as quickly as Køge did, that extra touch matters.

### **Køge were doing their job**

I also don't want this to become one of those reviews where everything Arsenal didn't do is somehow completely separate from what the opposition were doing, because Køge deserve credit for making this difficult.

They weren't sitting in what I'd describe as a permanent low block.

They were organised, and once Arsenal got near or into their penalty area, they got bodies back very quickly. They were also trying to press with their two forwards, and when they recovered possession, they were prepared to play.

Carusa was constantly trying to stretch the Arsenal defence, and Nadim was clever enough to find little pockets where she could become involved.

There was one moment where Kim Little made an absolutely brilliant challenge inside the penalty area, and if she gets that even slightly wrong, we're probably talking about a Køge penalty.

So Arsenal had to be awake and alert.

I thought Borbe handled that side of the game really well. She wasn't being peppered with shots, but she looked comfortable whenever Køge sent those longer balls into the area, and I liked how calm she was with the things she did have to deal with.

By half-time though, my overriding feeling was frustration.

Arsenal had had plenty of the ball and plenty of attempts, but there wasn't enough quality at the end of it, and I wrote in my notes with about seven minutes of the half remaining that I wasn't seeing a big improvement from the weekend.

Loose passes, poor decisions, and missed chances to move the ball quickly.

At half-time I wanted two changes: Cerci for Blackstenius and Reuteler for Maanum.

Change the focal point of the attack and get someone into midfield who might give Køge something different to think about.

Renée agreed with half of that. Sort of.

### **Russo comes on, but the problem doesn't disappear**

Alessia Russo replaced Blackstenius at half-time, which wasn't the change I wanted, but at least Arsenal were changing something.

And Russo did start making things happen.

She gave the Køge defenders different movement to deal with, and there was an early moment where Kyra got into the box, Russo couldn't quite connect, and Taylor Hinds picked up the loose ball but couldn't keep her effort down.

Hinds deserves a mention here as well because I thought she became more and more positive as the game went on, and she wasn't afraid to step forward.

But Køge were still dangerous enough to remind Arsenal that they couldn't throw everybody forward without thinking about what was behind them.

Carusa found space in the area at one point, and then there was a much bigger warning when Køge broke through Arsenal's defensive line right up the pitch, and Borbe came racing from far outside her penalty area to deal with it, which was excellent goalkeeping.

She read the situation quickly and saved Arsenal from what surely would have been a goal.

At the other end, Kelly was becoming increasingly involved, and you could see her cage-football background and mentality in the way she played when things got crowded.

She'll weave one way, jink the other, keep the ball incredibly close to her feet and try to find a route through even when there are defenders all around her.

She looked in the mood last night; the problem was still what happened (or rather didn’t happen) at the end of the move.

### **The changes start coming**

Just before the hour, Renée brought on Mariona and Lisa Baum for Little and Foord; Kelly moved across to the left, and Baum went to the right, which also meant we had the Smil-Lisa combination back together on that side.

That made me a little bit happier, although I still wanted to throw my remote at the TV because there was still no Cerci. Arsenal did start looking a bit more positive after those changes, as there was now pace and directness on both sides, while Russo was moving around much more through the middle.

But Maanum was still on the pitch, and I was really struggling with that.

Russo produced a really good cross from the left, and Frida got onto the end of it but screwed the effort high and wide, and by this point she'd had enough opportunities that I was beginning to wonder what on earth Renée was waiting for.

It just wasn't Frida's night; that happens, but this is exactly why you've built this squad.

If a player is having one of those evenings where the decisions aren't quite coming off, and the shooting isn't there, you've got options on the bench who can change how the team is playing.

In the meantime, Holmberg just kept delivering.

That's probably the thing I find most positive about her performance, because the accuracy was so consistent. 

She wasn't just crossing because that's what full-backs are supposed to do when they get forward. She was putting the ball into areas where someone should expect it to arrive.

And that’s the big problem - I don't think Arsenal's forwards were reading her well enough.

If Smilla is going to keep playing and maintain that quality of delivery, they need to start learning where she's putting those balls, because there are goals there. She had 4 assists in just a few months with the club last season, and that’s no accident.

By around 65 minutes, Arsenal were firing balls in from everywhere, Køge were defending them, the ball would come back out, and we'd start again.

And again. And again. You could feel the frustration building. Meadow Park sounded so quiet.

I was getting messages from Trailblazers listeners telling me how painful it was to watch, and I knew exactly what they meant, because by 70 minutes Arsenal had become predictable.

Køge knew where the ball was going, they knew where they needed to get bodies, and they were mopping up everything Arsenal threw at them. 

### **Finally, Selina Cerci**

Selina Cerci eventually came on for Frida Maanum after 72 minutes, with Russo dropping deeper, and this was the change I'd been waiting for, because I wanted someone in that penalty area whose instinct was to attack it.

We'd spent most of the game getting into good positions out wide and putting balls across the area, but no one was consistently getting where I wanted them to be, and Cerci at least gave Arsenal a different type of presence through the middle.

Olivia Smith came on later as well, and Arsenal just kept pushing, but it was still very scrappy.

Passes were being misplaced, attacks were breaking down, and we're getting deeper and deeper into this game with the score still 0-0, when a draw here just wouldn't have been good enough.

Not at home, not against Køge and not after the start Arsenal have already had in the league.

Then we get into stoppage time, and Cerci finally does something Arsenal hadn't done enough of all night.

She drives into the penalty area.

There's no hesitation; she puts herself in a position with three defenders around her, where one of them has to decide, and Sakabe makes the wrong call.

Penalty.

I really loved that from Cerci because it shows intelligence.

She knows where she is; she knows the defender has to deal with her, and rather than looking for another pass or trying to construct the perfect opening, she attacks the space and forces something to happen. That's *exactly* what I wanted to see from her.

Mariona takes the penalty, Vingum gets something on it but can't keep it out, and suddenly it's 1-0.

I think every single Arsenal supporter watching this game around the world probably had the same reaction.

Relief.

Not because we'd watched a great Champions League performance and finally got the goal it deserved, but because after 90 minutes of making this far more difficult than it needed to be, Arsenal had found a way to win it.

### **So what do we take from this?**

The first thing is the obvious one.

We take the three points! This is the Champions League, and however Arsenal got them, they're on the board.

I also think there were individual performances to be pleased with.

Kyra was probably my standout in midfield. I loved the decisiveness of her passing; I loved the way she carried the ball forward, and there were several occasions where she was the Arsenal player trying to speed things up rather than allowing Køge to settle.

Smilla Holmberg continues to look like a really interesting player.

I thought Chloe Kelly was good and kept trying to make things happen even when there wasn't much space to work with.

Anneke Borbe did everything she needed to do, and that intervention outside her penalty area in the second half was a big, big moment.

Taylor Hinds grew into the game.

Selina Cerci came on and won the penalty that decided it.

So there are positives, but I'm not going to pretend I'm suddenly reassured about this Arsenal attack, because I'm absolutely not.

Twenty-one shots and only two on target is a ridiculous statistic, especially when one of those two is a penalty.

That’s why I don't think we can just call this poor finishing. Some of it was, absolutely, but some of it was the decision before the shot, the extra touch, the pass that wasn't played, the run that wasn't made, or another cross into a good area with nobody attacking it.

Arsenal are doing a lot of attacking, but too many of those attacks aren't ending with someone in a position where you really expect them to score, and that's what Renée needs to solve, because the opposition are going to get better and better; Arsenal aren't going to have 70 per cent possession and 21 attempts every week.

What I would say is that last night we maybe got a few clues.

Kyra speeds things up, Smilla gives you really good delivery from the right, Kelly gives you someone willing to take defenders on, and Cerci wants to attack the penalty area.

Now Renée has to work out how to put enough of them together at the same time.

And I'd still really like to know where Géraldine Reuteler fits into all of this, because after talking before the game about wanting to see her get proper minutes, she still hasn’t been given that opportunity.

So yes, Arsenal have won, and we've started our Champions League campaign with three points. With City drawing away at Bayern, maybe when I'm looking at the table I won't care whether the goal came after ten minutes or in stoppage time.

But watching it tonight? That was really hard work.

We've got loads more to talk about over the next few days because Chelsea are coming and that is obviously a completely different test.

For now, though, take the three points, give Køge plenty of credit for the way they defended, and let's hope Arsenal can start turning all this attacking activity into a few more goals.