Arsenal legend Ian Wright slams Real Madrid for Champions League pitch 'disgrace' 

Arsenal Women suffer disappointing defeat on Real Madrid's appalling pitch 

Ian Wright has slammed 'disgrace' of a pitch, after the Gunners lost 2-0 on a disappointing evening in the Spanish capital.

With Real Madrid refusing to allow the match to be played at the Bernabeu, heavy pre-match rain in Madrid left the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium pitch cut up and in a waterlogged state.

Taking to Instagram Live in the first half of the match, popular former Arsenal men's striker Wright fumed: "This is worse than Derby's pitch the other day.

"This is a ******* disgrace the pitches these girls have to play on."

The men's team have not played at the newly-developed stadium, which has a retractable roof, since March 9 and do not return to action at their home venue until March 29.

Gunners boss Renee Slegers also hinted that conditions hurt her side in Women's Champions League defeat.

Such challenging conditions even affecting legendary Arsenal defender Leah Williamson during Real Madrid's opener as the Gunners slipped to a frustrating 2-0 first-leg defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday evening. 

A goal in each half from Linda Caicedo and Athenea del Castillo condemned Arsenal to a first-leg loss at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, the home of Real's reserves, and left them with plenty of work to do in the return next week in north London.

Asked by the Gooner Fanzine's Freddie Cardy in Madrid after the match about her side’s difficulties in recent weeks all seemingly coming on tough pitches, Slegers said: “We spoke about it with the players before the game. We knew the condition of the pitch. 

“So we had a plan for it. But then it's always hard because over a season and over time you work on things and you have an identity the way you want to do things. 

“So then reality comes and these conditions come and all of a sudden you need to do things differently. So that's of course hard. But the players tried. So all credit to them for trying and the work rate.”