Arsenal Women concluded their La Manga training camp with a 3-2 defeat to AC Milan in their second behind-closed-doors friendly of pre-season — but there was considerably more to this game than the scoreline suggests.
In this episode of Arsenal Women: Trailblazers, Roberto Revilla goes through Arsenal’s official match report and looks at what we can actually take from the game, rather than attempting to judge a performance none of us were able to watch.
Leah Williamson headed home from an Olivia Smith corner, while summer signing Selina Cerci scored her first goal for Arsenal with a superb strike from outside the area. Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius and Cerci also hit the crossbar as Arsenal created chances and twice fought back from behind.
There were encouraging signs from Olivia Smith, valuable minutes for academy prospects Kyri Teer-Hutchins, Amelia Marriott, Abi Conway and Bella Cowley, and another opportunity for Renée Slegers to learn about her squad as Arsenal completed a demanding training camp in scorching conditions in Spain.
We also put the result into context. What does losing a behind-closed-doors pre-season friendly actually tell us? How much can we reasonably infer from Arsenal’s match report? And with AC Milan further into their own pre-season preparations, is the immediate negativity surrounding a 3-2 defeat remotely justified?
Arsenal now return to England before facing Paris FC on 23 August and Charlton Athletic on 26 August at Meadow Park, ahead of the start of the 2026/27 WSL season.
🎙️ Arsenal Women: Trailblazers - following Arsenal Women on and off the pitch, telling the players’ stories and creating a welcoming place for supporters to learn more about the team.
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