Frankfurt sail through in style

Dramatic encounter
In front of 4,200 spectators at the Stadion am Brentanobad, Ciara Grant gave the guests an early lead, but Renate Lingor, Kerstin Garefrekes and Sandra Smisek struck to turn the tide and earn the hosts a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Early shock for Frankfurt
Inspired by playmaker Lingor, Frankfurt put Arsenal under tremendous pressure in the opening minutes, but failed to create enough of a threat. As a result, the inaugural winners of this competition were punished as the London club's first opening, in the eleventh minute, brought the first goal thanks to a low shot from 16 metres by Grant.

Lingor and Garefrekes register
The hosts' response was impressive and immediate. Within nine minutes, after Garefrekes's shirt had been pulled in the Arsenal area, Lingor made no mistake from the penalty spot. Frankfurt stepped up the pace even more and Garefrekes's long-range effort with her left foot two minutes before the break ended up in the top left corner to secure a deserved lead.

Smisek adds a third
In the second half, Arsenal struggled to stay in contention as Frankfurt turned on the style. After Birgit Prinz had missed two clear chances, Smisek scored the third on 53 minutes from close range. Frankfurt's ticket to the semi-finals was finally booked when goalkeeper Marleen Wissink saved Grant's penalty a minute from time.