Koge revel in Champions League 'adventure' as Arsenal scrape past Danish minnows

Arsenal were forced to leave it late as Mariona Caldentey's stoppage-time penalty clinched a nervy 1-0 win over Women's Champions League minnows Koge, but the Danish side left the Emirates full of pride rather than disappointment.

Arsenal players celebrate during their Women's Champions League clash against Koge

The European champions of 2025 dominated possession and territory, racking up 19 shots, yet hit the target just twice and struck the woodwork as Koge — featuring in only their second Champions League campaign — produced a stubborn, disciplined defensive display.

Caldentey's last-gasp spot-kick ultimately settled the contest, but veteran forward Nadia Nadim, who led the visiting line, was delighted with how her youthful team conducted themselves on the biggest stage.

“So proud of the team and the way we conducted ourselves, especially in the first half,” Nadim told ESPN on Disney+. “We have a young team, a lot of them have no experience playing at this level, good for them to experience what it's like at this level. Good learning, disappointed they got the goal and penalty in the last minute. That's a part of the game, could've done better, but it's our first Champions League game and there's a lot of games left.”

The 37-year-old explained how the gameplan shifted as fatigue set in, and credited the reigning European champions for their quality.

“We wanted to be compact and keep the ball, we had people who were comfortable with the ball. We changed in the last 30 minutes, and it didn't do us well because we couldn't get out of the pressure. Credit to Arsenal, great team, they find each other well. It's okay, happy for the young players to experience this.”

'I always love the Champions League'

Nadim, back competing in Europe's elite club competition, admitted the physical demands of defending so deep took their toll, but she remains excited about what lies ahead for her team.

“I enjoy the game. Physically, it's tough because you're so low, it becomes hard to be dangerous, takes a toll to try and get in the box the whole time. I love football, I love this game. It's nice to be back here. I always love the Champions League. Now we're a new team, let's see where this adventure will take us.”

For Arsenal, the result snapped a run of losing their opening Champions League fixtures in each of the past two seasons. Defender Steph Catley acknowledged the difficulty of breaking down a side that defended so deep, while insisting the Gunners' belief in winning the competition remains intact.

“We left it late. It's tough at the moment and in the Champions League there are no easy games. They defended great, we didn't score early and it didn't come until the end. In the Champions League, you never think it's an easy day. I was expecting a tough game and it became really difficult but credit to the girls, they did everything and Mariona was very calm in that moment.”

Asked about the side's recent struggles in front of goal, Catley added:

“It's hard to put your finger on it [what is going wrong], it is a bit of a slog and the goals are not coming as freely as they have in the past. It's not a lack of trying, we're doing everything we can to put the ball into the back of the net. We have great history in this competition and it's important we are in it every year and challenging to win. We have a real belief that we can go on and win it. It's a long season and we're working really hard so to get the wins early on is very important.”

Madrid and PSG share the spoils

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain played out a 1-1 draw. Felicia Schroder fired Madrid ahead after just two minutes, but Sakina Karchaoui equalised from the penalty spot in the second half.

English sides are now unbeaten in their last 11 Champions League games against clubs from Denmark (W8 D3), since Arsenal's 1-5 defeat to Fortuna Hjorring in the 2002-03 semi-final.