Alessia Russo was everywhere as Arsenal booked their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 (7-1 aggregate) win over Leuven, and that is before you even mention her two goals.
“She’s always switched on,” head coach Renee Slegers said after the match. “She’s always present in every phase, in the press, in our counter pressure, working all the way back. She does so many good things.”
Russo is the forward who can drag teams through tournaments — not just because of her poaching, but via her diligent pressing and fine link-up play.
Her seven goals across eight games are the most of any player in the Women’s Champions League this season. These have not been stat-padding contributions; many have been instrumental to Arsenal’s progress. Her double to secure a 2-1 comeback victory over Real Madrid and her assist for Beth Mead’s winning goal against Twente were pivotal.
Russo’s double on Thursday — incidentally, her 49th and 50th goals for the club — rubber-stamped Arsenal’s progress to the quarter-finals, already all but assured by their 4-0 advantage from the reverse fixture last week. They also showcased exactly what she does best in the penalty area.
Midway through the first half, Russo latched onto a through ball and drove into the box before passing back to a team-mate and dropping off slightly. She then darted back into the area to receive the ball with her back to goal, shrugged off Kim Everaerts, and fired home.
In the 90th minute, after Sara Pusztai had equalised on the night for Leuven and Mariona Caldentey had restored Arsenal’s lead from the spot, Russo added their third. This time — having brought down a high ball under pressure and made the pass that kickstarted Arsenal’s counter-attack — she popped up at the other end of the move and slotted into the bottom corner after turning her marker.
The chance that best sums up Russo’s value is one she did not score. With 15 minutes remaining, as Leuven attempted to build around Arsenal’s box, Russo dropped deep into her own half to pick up the ball as it was poked clear. She turned and dribbled to the halfway line before releasing Foord to chase on the left. With Leuven’s defenders focused on Foord’s run, Russo continued into the penalty area and leapt to meet a cross at the far post. She could not quite direct it in and a corner was given instead — but the move, beginning with recovering possession in her own half and ending with her on the receiving end of the ball in the box, perfectly sums up her knack for self-service.
Her five Women’s Super League goals so far this season have been scored across only four games — but her direct output does not truly reflect her value. More so than her finishing, Russo’s physicality and hold-up play is what sets her apart as an elite striker: her ability to recover the ball in midfield and retain it under pressure while waiting for team-mates to join the attack is superb. The fitness that allows her to lead Arsenal’s press as vigorously as she did against Leuven is also remarkable.
Having such a robust target up top is particularly important when Arsenal are not at their most convincing, as they were not at times against Leuven. Though the tie finished 7-1 on aggregate, they had a few patchy moments in difficult conditions at Meadow Park. Russo’s chance in the 75th minute followed a sequence where Arsenal had looked unsettled under Leuven’s pressure, underlining her importance as a release valve.
“That was really good,” Slegers said when asked by The Athletic about Russo’s build-up contributions, “especially then in the second half when (Leuven) started to take more risks in their press and how they do things.
“Then we can play less into feet, or even sometimes not into feet because the pitch wasn’t perfect, but then she brings it down, controls it so well (under) pressure and then she has qualities to roll pressure and set other players up.”
Fifty club goals is a punchy headline figure, but Russo’s contribution is much greater than that. She is key not just for Arsenal’s finishing touch, but for their ability to maintain a threat on the counter, win the physical battle in midfield, and disrupt opponents’ build-up.
The 27-year-old has proven, for club and country, her ability to do those things when the stakes are highest. They will rarely be higher than when Arsenal face Chelsea in the quarter-finals, and — whether on the scoresheet or not — she will be crucial.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Arsenal, Women’s Soccer
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