Despite going down 2-0 before the half-hour mark, a dogged Arsenal came back from the depths of defeat to salvage a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Sunday.
There's no doubt that after the disastrous start to their semi-final clash with Wolfsburg, a positive result for Arsenal seemed as far away as possible. Despite the challenge, Arsenal were relentless. They stole one back before the break and another in the second half levelling the game.
Nobody embodied that steely fight Arsenal put up more than our own Katie McCabe, who was phenomenal yesterday. From the chances she created, to putting her head where others wouldn't put their feet and to her fiercely defending her teammates from a barrage of on-the-line tackles from Wolfsburg, McCabe definitely made her mark on the game.
She played the game without fear. The personal consequences were of little concern to McCabe as long as the team came out on top and nothing showed that more than this video of McCabe rushing to the defence of teammate Lia Wälti after a wild tackle from behind by German international Lena Oberdorf. She was also kind enough to check on Oberdorf's condition afterwards.
In fairness to Katie McCabe, she did follow to make sure Oberdorf was ok. 👩🏽⚕️pic.twitter.com/sDy8SuTaAD
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) April 24, 2023
Despite a yellow card in the dying moments of the game, Katie's heroics went far beyond that. The Irish captain receiving plaudits for her determination to carry on playing after a hefty clearance to her face with the medical staff clearing her after what must have felt like an eternity for Arsenal fans.
Johnathan Liew of the Guardian who was in Wolfsburg aptly described it saying,
The way Katie McCabe stood tall and took a full-blooded clearance in the face. (After a worrying few minutes of treatment and a thorough concussion assessment, the ball was pronounced fit to continue.)
While Katie has never been known as the type of player to back down from a challenge, she seemed unstoppable at points for Arsenal yesterday.
As Arsenal grew into the game following their second goal it felt like Katie was constantly at the centre of play with her highlight coming when she found herself free in the corner and popped a ball into the near post, before Frida Maanum, unfortunately, headed it wide.
From 2-0 down in the first leg to secure a valuable draw...
Now we're just one game away from the Champions League final! 🏆
Gooners, we need your support at Emirates Stadium ❤️
46,000 tickets sold and counting 😲— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) April 23, 2023
Katie McCabe and Arsenal are set to welcome Wolfsburg to the Emirates on the 1st of May for the return leg. Arsenal lost England captain Leah Williamson to a crushing ACL injury last week but a Champions League final is firmly within their grasp.
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