Arsenal v Real Madrid: Women’s Champions League – live

8.56pm GMT Half-time entertainment. Make sure to sign up for our weekly round-up of women’s football, the Moving the Goalposts newsletter. It’s fantastic and free, and here’s the latest offering. Related: ‘Exactly where we wanted to be’: Canada hails NSL after inaugural season’s glittering finish | Sophie Downey 8.53pm GMT There’s already been one disheartening result for a WSL team tonight. Manchester United were given a good going-over at Wolfsburg; Sophie Downey was at the Volkswagen Arena, and here’s her report, followed by Taha Hashim’s blow-by-blow account. Related: Mighty Wolfsburg overwhelm Manchester United 5-2 in WCL thrashing Related: Wolfsburg 5-2 Manchester United: Women’s Champions League – as it happened 8.50pm GMT HALF TIME: Arsenal 0-1 Real Madrid Rodríguez makes up for her error by claiming Russo’s corner, and that’s the end of the first half. Two out-of-sorts teams scrabbling around in the hope of rediscovering their form. Arsenal had more of the ball, and the territory, but it was Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir who delivered the one bit of true quality. A fine goal, and the defending champions have a very big half of football coming up. 8.48pm GMT 45 min +1: Smith crosses deep from the left. Rodríguez claims, but carries the ball over the dead-ball line, so it’ll be a corner. One last chance for Arsenal to get back on terms before the half-time whistle. 8.47pm GMT 45 min: There will be one additional first-half minute. 8.46pm GMT 44 min: Just the sweetest of connections by the Scotland international. A smattering of frustrated boos from the Arsenal faithful, perhaps aggrieved by the award of the free kick. It was a fair decision, though. 8.45pm GMT GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Real Madrid (Weir 43) Däbritz gets up and takes the free kick herself. It’s half-cleared by Catley. It drops to Weir, 15 yards out. She meets the dropping ball with the sweetest of right-foot volleys. The ball whistles into the bottom-right corner, Van Domselaar rooted to the spot. What a finish! Weir properly larruped that. 8.43pm GMT 41 min: Maanum and Weir take turns to throw themselves into robust challenges. For a brief second, there’s an edge to the game. Then Caldentey skittles Däbritz out on the right. Another free kick in a dangerous position for Real, this time to be sent in from the other side. 8.40pm GMT 39 min: Fox wins Arsenal’s first corner on the right-hand side. Russo overhits it and soon enough play is back on the halfway line. 8.39pm GMT 38 min: Yasmim slips a gorgeous ball down the inside-left channel to release Feller on goal. Feller makes it all the way to the box, opens her body, shoots … and slaps a weak effort straight at Van Domselaar. Easy for the keeper, then the flag goes up for offside. What a defence-splitting pass, though. Updated at 8.41pm GMT 8.37pm GMT 36 min: Now Athenea nicks the ball off Russo, who shoves her over. A free kick in a dangerous position wide left. Navarro curls it into a busy mixer, but Wubben-Moy clears the danger. Real beginning to show in attack again, after a mid-half slump. 8.35pm GMT 34 min: Athenea tries again down the inside left, but once again Fox isn’t in the mood to be dribbled past. She wins the duel and Arsenal clear their lines. This is shaping up to be a good personal battle. 8.34pm GMT 32 min: The corner’s a non-event. Russo tries to launch a counter, spraying a long ball down the left, intended for Caldentey, but that move peters out. Arsenal come again, though, down the right this time. Smith jigs into the box and goes over. There are muted cries for a penalty, but more from the crowd than the Arsenal players. To be fair, she just ran slap-bang into Däbritz, who was entitled to stand her ground. Updated at 8.42pm GMT 8.32pm GMT 31 min: Athenea dribbles into the Arsenal box down the inside-left channel. Fox does well to stick to her and block the eventual cross-cum-shot out for a corner. It’s Real’s first of the evening. 8.31pm GMT 30 min: Kelly drops the shoulder to get past Navarro on the left, then swings long. Too long. Maanum was free in the middle, six yards out. Goal kick. 8.29pm GMT 28 min: … and it’s easily claimed by Rodríguez, who earns a whack for her bravery. She’s fine to continue, though. 8.29pm GMT 27 min: Russo wins a corner down the left. Arsenal’s best chance so far came from one of these. Kelly to swing it in … 8.28pm GMT 26 min: This is better from Arsenal. Kelly is released into space down the right by Maanum’s cute reverse pass. Kelly curls low towards the far stick, where Russo connects. Rodriguez parries out for a corner, but there’ll be no set piece, because the flag pops up for offside. Updated at 8.38pm GMT 8.26pm GMT 24 min: The crowd have gone a bit quiet. The lack of serious goalmouth action, perhaps. Or maybe everyone’s lips are frozen together. Or the nippy sweeties are kicking in. 8.24pm GMT 22 min: Fox probes down the right and lays the ball back for Russo, who loops a cross in for Kelly, six yards out. But she can’t control, Maanum isn’t able to latch onto the loose ball, and Rodriguez clams. Half a chance there. 8.23pm GMT 21 min: Kelly whips a low cross in from the right. Russo and Maanum are lurking, waiting to slam home, but Méndez reads the danger, intercepts and clears. For all the attacking intent, neither goalkeeper has had a save to make. 8.21pm GMT 19 min: The game slows for the first time, and gets scrappy. Athenea tries to get something going with a neat spin into space in the centre circle, but there’s nobody up with play and she’s forced to turn tail. 8.19pm GMT 17 min: Kelly drives in from the right and attempts a one-two with Russo on the edge of the D. It doesn’t quite come off, but for a second there, the centre of the Real defence threatened to open up for Arsenal. 8.17pm GMT 15 min: The crowd at Meadow Park are still giving it plenty. That they’re still there at all is to be commended. It is beyond cold. Hip-flask-and-nippy-sweetie weather. 8.15pm GMT 13 min: Caldentey tries to release Maanum down the middle, but the pass is just behind her team-mate, and dribbles through to Rodriguez. 8.13pm GMT 11 min: Russo dribbles down the left and checks back. She lays off to Smith, who opens her body and looks to send a power-curler into the top-right corner from the left-hand edge of the D. It’s always flying high and wide, but was a decent enough strike nonetheless. And full marks for ambition, because if that planted into the postage stamp, it would have been quite the goal. Updated at 8.13pm GMT 8.11pm GMT 10 min: … so both teams have shown promise in attack. A nice open start to the game. 8.10pm GMT 8 min: Caicedo dribbles in from the left and lays off to Weir, who takes another shot from the edge of the Arsenal box. The ball clips Wubben-Moy on the arm, and the two Real players scream for a penalty, but they’re not getting one. Wubben-Moy’s arm was by her side, and there wasn’t much distance between the players either. We move on. 8.08pm GMT 7 min: Arsenal are beginning to impose themselves after that slow start. McCabe crosses from the left. Cleared. Russo feeds Kelly down the right. Another cross. Another clearance. The Real defence just about holding firm. Updated at 8.45pm GMT 8.07pm GMT 5 min: Smith wins the first corner of the game for Arsenal. Kelly swings it in from the left. Maanum rises highest, six yards out … and should really score, but sends her downwards header wide right. A perfectly timed jump, the header not so much. Arsenal should be leading. A big let-off for Real. Updated at 8.13pm GMT 8.05pm GMT 3 min: … so having said that, Kelly advances down the right and crosses. It’s a slight mishit, and nearly loops over Rodríguez’s head and into the top left! But the Real keeper adjusts to the situation quickly, backpedaling and plucking the ball from the sky, just under her crossbar. 8.04pm GMT 2 min: Arsenal haven’t really had a sniff yet. Real are pressing hard and keeping the hosts in their own half. “There is chatter among the Arsenalati as to how soon Kyra Cooney-Cross will displace Kim Little,” begins Charles Antaki. “The latter is no youngster, though retiring from international football has kept her going for a while yet. But it’s stating the obvious that Arsenal have missed her composure and problem-solving in midfield these last games while she’s been injured. Cooney-Cross is always tidy and firm in her passing, but doesn’t seem to be so much of a schemer as Little, and inevitably Arsenal have certainly suffered from a lack of guile recently. Some smartness needed tonight.” Updated at 8.04pm GMT 8.02pm GMT 1 min: Real, in blue shirts, are on the front foot immediately. Within the first 15 seconds, Weir has a whack from the edge of the D but it’s blocked. Onwards and upwards for Arsenal. 8.01pm GMT Captains Steph Catley and Misa Rodríguez exchange pennants … then Real Madrid get the ball rolling. A decent atmosphere at Meadow Park in Borehamwood, given the arctic temperatures this evening. Updated at 8.08pm GMT 7.59pm GMT No word from Arsenal boss Renée Slegers. She may have more important things on her mind than chatting to journalists and broadcasters, given Arsenal’s form. On Disney Plus, Fara Williams points out that her record this season isn’t that dissimilar to the one that got her predecessor Jonas Eidevall canned last season, with the obvious caveat of the credit in the bank accrued by her WCL win. Anyway, the players are out, and we’ll be off in a minute. 7.50pm GMT Real Madrid coach Pau Quesada speaks to Disney Plus. “A very attractive fixture … we have similar identities as teams … this is one of the most attractive fixtures in Europe … Arsenal are still a very good team [despite their early-season form] … they will create chances … they will be up there in the WSL and Women’s Champions League … having said that we hope to capitalise on any mistakes … we weren’t clinical enough [against Barcelona] so we need to improve that, especially against the best teams in Europe.” 7.33pm GMT Beth Mead might not be starting tonight. But she’s leading the line in the campaign to tackle climate change. Here’s her piece from today’s Guardian, a vivid picture of how global warming is already impacting on football around the world. Related: Beth Mead: ‘If we don’t adapt to climate change, football becomes a privilege, not a right‘ 7.21pm GMT Arsenal have made three changes to their starting XI in the wake of that goalless draw with Spurs. Chloe Kelly, Frida Maanum and Olivia Smith replace Beth Mead, Caitlin Foord and Stina Blackstenius, all of whom drop to the bench. Caroline Weir of Scotland starts in the Real Madrid midfield. Filippa Angeldahl, once of Manchester City, lines up alongside her. 7.17pm GMT The teams Arsenal: van Domselaar, Fox, Wubben-Moy, Catley, McCabe, Cooney-Cross, Maanum, Caldentey, Kelly, Russo, Smith.Subs: Borbe, Liddiard, Codina, Mead, Foord, Pelova, Nighswonger, Hinds, Blackstenius, Harwood. Real Madrid: Misa, Navarro, Mendez, Lakrar, Yasmim, Angeldal, Dabritz, del Castillo, Weir, Caicedo, Feller.Subs: Lopez, Tellez, Galvez, Redondo, Garcia, Bennison, Holmgaard, Andersson, Keukelaar, Dorado, Cristobal, Santiago. 7.00pm GMT Preamble Arsenal’s defence of the Champions League hasn’t been going to plan. Renée Slegers’s side have lost two out of their three matches so far in the league phase: a 2-1 home reverse to Lyon in matchday one, followed by a staggering collapse at Bayern Munich in matchday three last week. Those losses sandwich a win at Benfica that’s kept the show on the road, and with positions 5 to 12 securing progression to the play-offs, there’s no need to be hammering away on panic buttons just yet. But a top-four place and its concomitant guarantee of a quarter-final berth may soon become a pipe dream if Arsenal don’t get a wriggle on. They could do with a big result tonight. They may be secretly pleased to see Real Madrid roll into town. Arsenal’s glorious Alessia Russo-inspired comeback in the second leg of last season’s quarter-final was perhaps the signature moment of their run to glory, and that 3-0 win will surely give them great belief going into this game. On the other hand, they did lose the first leg 2-0, getting themselves into enough trouble where an all-timer of a comeback was required. So it’s swings and roundabouts, and nobody will be taking too much for granted. Especially as neither team are in top form. Arsenal, off the pace in the WSL too, followed defeat in Munich with a disappointing goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur, while Real dropped their first Champions League points last week at home to Paris FC before getting thrashed 4-0 in Liga F at the weekend by Barcelona. Something’s got to give, but good luck predicting exactly what. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!