Arsenal Female Team Jet Caught fire On Germany runway
On the tarmac of a German airport on Sunday night, a plane carrying the Arsenal female team returning from their Champions League semifinal first leg match against Wolfsburg caught fire.
According to a Daily Mail article, the event happened at the Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport when a bird crashed into the engine prior to takeoff, making a loud noise.
When flames appeared coming from the left engine of the Boeing 737, the onboard pilots acted swiftly to remove the passengers, including the first team players of Arsenal, to safety.
Arsenal confirmed their safe arrival home on Monday in a statement.
The statement said, “On Sunday evening in Germany, our aircraft experienced a technical problem prior to takeoff.
“As a result, we spent the night in Wolfsburg on Sunday before taking a flight back to England on Monday. We appreciate the help from the staff members on the plane and at the airport’s ground level.
The team took a Maltese airline on a Saturday flight to Germany, and they were scheduled to use the same airline the next evening for their return flight.
They had to change to a different airline, according to the Daily Mail, in order to return to England on Monday early after the engine caught fire.
After battling back to achieve a 2-2 draw in the first leg on Sunday, Arsenal can now anticipate securing their spot in this year’s Champions League final upon their return from Germany.
The Gunners got off to the worst possible start, trailing their German opponents by two goals after only 24 minutes.
But just before halftime, Rafaelle Souza gave the home team a goal back, and with 21 minutes left, Stina Blackstenius scored for Arsenal to make it 2-2.
After losing to Manchester United in the league the previous week and having Leah Williamson suffer a long-term knee injury that will keep her out of the World Cup, Arsenal’s comeback was a welcome development.
According to Daily Mail, the second match versus Wolfsburg will be played at the Emirates Stadium the following Monday.
