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Arsenal boss Renee Slegers reacts to Real Madrid pitch after UEFA Champions League loss, Ian Wright blasts 'disgrace'
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Updated 18/03/2025 at 23:47 GMT
Tuesday evening saw Arsenal suffer a 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano in their UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final first leg. Arsenal manager Renee Slegers was reluctant to criticise the playing surface, which was heavily affected by rainfall that hit the Spanish capital, but Ian Wright had no such qualms, calling it a "disgrace" on social media.
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Arsenal manager Renee Slegers said improved pitches are "the next step for women’s football" after difficult conditions affected their defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
The WSL side lost 2-0 in Spain in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final, at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano.
Heavy rainfall in the Spanish capital meant that the pitch, used by Real’s women’s side and the men’s reserve team, was noticeably sodden.
The pitch visibly cut up throughout the game, and the ball would not reliably travel along the ground as a result of moisture, with the hosts' midfielder Melanie Leupolz suffering a knee issue that appeared serious in the second half.
The international break for Real Madrid’s men’s team meant that the Bernabeu would not be in use, but the match still went ahead at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano.
Slegers was asked about the decision, but she would not be drawn on the specific match, and instead suggested an improvement in pitches in general was important for the women's game.
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"It’s not on me to criticise," Slegers said at a post-match press conference.
"It’s obviously a club decision, and I’m sure that UEFA is trying to create the best conditions for the tournament.
"Of course, the weather is not always in our control. But we’ve seen a couple of games lately where the pitch conditions haven’t been great, and I think that’s the next step for women’s football to take.
"We knew the condition of the pitch so we had a plan for it. It’s always hard because you work on things over a season, and you have an identity. Then reality comes and these conditions come and all of a sudden we need to do things differently, so that’s hard.
"All credit to [the players] for trying and the work rate. We are confident that we can do something against them at the Emirates, because it’s only half-time."
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Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright used much less diplomatic language on his Instagram story.
"Watching the Champions League quarter-final… Real Madrid pitch – this is worse than Derby’s pitch the other day in the Conti Cup final," he said. "This is a ****ing disgrace, the pitches these girls have to play on."
Frustration over the playing conditions in Spain may be exacerbated by criticism of the Women’s League Cup final pitch between winners Chelsea and beaten finalists Manchester City on Saturday.
Derby’s Pride Park was the host, and the surface was unpopular among both sets of players.
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