Arsenal Women will have to overturn a two-goal deficit next Wednesday against Real Madrid in order to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the second time in three seasons.

Heavy rain in Madrid, in a month of March that according to locals had experienced an unprecedented amount of downpours, meant that the home side’s pitch at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano was in a condition some referees would have deemed unplayable for a domestic fixture.

However, this was the Champions League, and the show had to go on. Football was played by world-class players on a Sunday league pitch, but football was played. Real Madrid had the tools to adapt to these conditions, and Arsenal were never able to. 

Back on the Emirates carpet next week, Renée Slegers and her side will be under firm pressure.

Cricket fans might compare this game to a test match in India, where a match meant to last five days goes for only two or three because the pitch provides so much assistance to the spin bowlers, that the hapless batters cannot score any runs. 

If one batter digs in and makes a good score, or looks to smash the ball to all parts before their inevitable dismissal by an unplayable ball, this small margin can be the difference between two sides battling away on a tricky wicket.

And on these surfaces, it’s the x-factor players who shine. A mystery spinner, for example, who can move the ball different ways, assisted by a pitch that helps their craft. Real Madrid had a mystery spinner in Linda Caicedo, and Arsenal’s touring batters were sent packing one at a time. Come to think of it though, if this was a cricket match, we’d have probably stopped for rain.

Arsenal tried to play the Arsenal way. It’s a phrase heard for years and one Slegers regularly refers to. But principles have to be sacrificed. Football is not like cricket where the pitch plays such a crucial outcome in the outcome of a game, but it does play a role. Sometimes, that role is more extreme than others.

Real had the tools to hurt Arsenal. Any defender reading Caicedo’s name on the team sheet knows they are in for a difficult night, and the Colombia sensation added her name to a small list of players who can claim they have had the edge over Emily Fox.

Caicedo’s pace allowed Madrid to go direct, and hit Arsenal on the counter attack. Slegers’ side have struggled against pacey forwards of late, and Caicedo’s calm finish after Leah Williamson’s mistake- again, with the pitch undoubtedly playing its part- gave Real a one-goal first half lead.

Chloe Kelly and Caitlin Foord were introduced at half-time, with Slegers moving Alessia Russo back upfront and Mariona infield. It took 45 minutes, but Arsenal realised quick, direct wingers were the way to go. By this time, they were facing a rigid low block content with their narrow lead.

Stina Blackstenius’ start upfront made sense, but by doing so, Slegers will always take the gamble of dropping the in-form goalscorer Russo into a deeper role. No criticism of the England striker, but Arsenal have more capable players for the attacking midfield role- Mariona, for example. Does the need to keep Russo on the pitch outweigh that of picking your strongest player for that position?

Whilst Kelly and Foord did some joy in behind, as Arsenal’s midfield battled valiantly to try and find some control in the game and provide a springboard, the Gunners did not test Misa Rodriguez enough. The one time they did in the second half, nobody was there to follow in the rebound. In these conditions, shooting from distance seemed an obvious ploy, but no shoot-on-site policy was ever implemented.

The killer blow came from substitute Athenea del Castillo, a handy, tricky player for the home side to have up their sleeve. Emily Fox and Williamson both backed off in tandem, and Athenea found the bottom corner via a weak Manu Zinsberger hand. Turns out shooting from the edge of the box was the right idea. 

1-0 represents a slender lead, 2-0 now gives Real huge belief that they can reach the final four of this competition for the first time. Arsenal and Real Madrid fans, and the wider footballing community, have condemned the pitch in unison, but the Gunners cannot make excuses for a night in which mistakes and a failure to acclimatise could end up costing them.